MSC confirms orders for dual-fuel cruise ships with SOFC fuel cells

The Motorship previously reported that the Explora V and VI will also be equipped with a containment system for liquid hydrogen that will power a 6MW fuel cell to produce emissions-free power for hotel operations. It will also allow the vessels to operate in port with zero emissions.

The two newbuilds will come into service in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The ships will also feature a new generation of LNG engines that will further tackle the issue of methane slip with the use of unspecified containment systems.

Explora V and VI will have new state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures and will also be capable of using alternative fuels such as bio and synthetic gas, as well as methanol.

The Cruise Division also announced that it will work in the future with Fincantieri to equip the ships with future technologies including carbon capture, and more advanced waste management systems. 

The two additional ships brings Explora Journeys’ investment in its fleet to EUR3.5 billion. The contracts are subject to access to financing as per industry practice.

The Explora III will enter service in summer 2026 and construction of the LNG-powered vessel started on 6 September 2023 with a steel-cutting ceremony. Construction of LNG-powered Explora IV will begin in January 2024 and will be completed in early 2027. 

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman – Cruise Division, MSC Group, said, “With Explora Journeys we have created a luxury brand that has been successful at redefining luxury at sea. We are seeing continued growth in the luxury segment and the investment in these two new ships shows our commitment to continue to grow within this sector as well as to invest in ships of the future. Together with Fincantieri we will study the newest technology that the world has to offer and continue with our commitment to introduce these technologies to drive efficiencies across the whole spectrum of ship performance.  And of course we will continue to deliver the very best luxury travel experience, immersing our guests in the ocean state of mind with an sustainable soul.”

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer, Fincantieri, said “This new contract with MSC is a sign of the growing vitality of the cruise sector, in line with what we had predicted. In strategic terms, our future will depend on our ability to lead the evolution of the sector towards all energy and digital transition technologies with the entrepreneurship required to validate, industrialise and commercialise new solutions. The relevance of the partnership with MSC in this sense is a great strategic stimulus towards the future in line with the technological development goals set out in our new business plan. We are therefore particularly proud that the Explora project will mark the acceleration of this new phase, which with the fifth and sixth ships, will reach the highest level of advancement, making Fincantieri’s vision of the ship of the future ever more concrete.”