MSC Grandiosa makes first call to Valletta

The Port of Valletta yesterday welcomed the first call of MSC Grandiosa, one of the most environmentallyadvanced ships at sea. A ceremony was held on board the stunning 6,334-guest cruise ship to commemorate her maiden call to her port of registry and to conduct the traditional exchange of crests between the ship’s Command and local authorities.

MSC Grandiosa was delivered on 31 October at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France and is heavily equipped with a comprehensive range of leading-edge environmental technologies and other solutions as with this ship MSC Cruises marks another significant step in its journey towards zeroemissions operations.

Stephen Xuereb, Valletta Cruise Port’s CEO and Global Ports Holding COO, said: “We are proud to welcome MSC Grandiosa on her maiden call to Valletta Cruise Port, and to be hosting her on another 5 calls during this year as part of her inaugural season. Next year she will call Malta on another 43 occasions. On behalf of both Valletta Cruise Port and Global Ports Holding, we congratulate MSC Cruises on their achievements and look forward to many more years of fruitful joint cooperation and partnerships.”

Angelo Capurro, MSC Cruises’ Sales Executive Director, said: “Our cruise ships have served Malta for over 20 years, bringing hundreds of thousands of tourists to its shores. Today, we are proud to bring our latest and most innovative cruise ship to Valletta, to her port of registry, which she will regularly visit for the next 12 months. We look forward to bringing many more of our guests to this beautiful island in years to come, in partnership with Malta and its people.

Among other environmental innovations, MSC Grandiosa features a state-of-the-art selective catalytic reduction system which helps reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 per cent through advanced active emissions control technology. Nitrogen oxide from the engine operations is conducted through a catalyst – a high-density device made from noble metals – and converts them into nitrogen and water, both harmless compounds.

MSC Grandiosa is also fitted with shore-to-ship power which connects cruise ships while at berth to a port’s local power grid to further reduce the ship’s air emissions while in port to zero. This is a feature that has come as standard across all MSC Cruises new builds since 2017.

MSC Grandiosa will be deployed in the Western Mediterranean for the next 12 months before she is deployed to South America for the winter 2020 season.