Costa Cruises and Enel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote sustainable maritime mobility through electrification solutions. The agreement will focus on the possibility of promoting emission reduction projects in ports, in the entry and exit phases of cruise ships and during dockside stops.
Pilot case
In particular, the protocol aims to create a “pilot case” of naval refitting, i.e. technological improvement interventions on a ship already in operation, aimed at zeroing local emissions at the time of entry into a port, stop and exit, through the installation of a battery power supply on the ship, combined with a shore power and electric recharging system.
Another area of common commitment envisaged by the protocol concerns the promotion of activities of advocacy, aimed at simplifying and encouraging energy efficiency, electrification and the production of renewable energy in the port area, especially in port areas inserted in city contexts.
Electrification of the docks
One of the activities concerns the so-called cold ironingor the supply of ships through the electrification of the land network during stops in port, for which the cruise units are already equipping themselves, in advance of the electrification projects of the docks in the main Italian and Mediterranean ports, currently not yet implemented.
A further point of the memorandum of understanding between Enel and Costa Crociere aims to promote sustainable tourism, through the development of initiatives linked to sustainable electric mobility, both in ports and in cities. With the aim of progressively reducing noise and atmospheric emissions, also for activities related to cruises, such as shore excursions or intermodal connections between cities and ports.