MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based cruise line, has partnered up with ARTA to develop an LNG bunkering system for MSC Cruises fleet.
The two companies aim to set a new standard in LNG bunkering for cruise ships that meets the future requirements of the industry, the cruise line said in its statement.
MSC Cruises’ €9 billion investment plan for the construction of eleven new next-generation cruise ships in the next ten years.
The company signed a letter of intent in 2016 with STX France shipyard for the construction of up to four LNG-fueled cruise ships first of which is scheduled for delivery in 2022.
Speaking of the partnership with ARTA, the manufacturer of gas and liquid transfer solutions, Yves Bui , MSC Cruises’ LNG project director said it resulted in a system that features coupling and decoupling mechanism as well as a double-walled hose that will allow the cruise line to conduct bunkering operations without disrupting the activities taking place on board the ship.
The newly developed LNG bunkering system is planned to be implemented on the cruise line’s LNG-newbuilds.