MSC Cruises signs green cruising charter for Bay of Cannes

Cruise line commits to four pledges to help protect the environment and ecosystem in the French city
MSC Cruises signs green cruising charter for Bay of Cannes
Executives from MSC Cruises, Cannes City Hall and Nice Côte d'Azur CCI sign the charter (Image: MSC Cruises)

By Rebecca Gibson |


MSC Cruises has signed a charter to reduce the environmental impact of its cruise ships when they sail in the Bay of Cannes, France.

Drawn up by Cannes City Hall and Nice Côte d'Azur CCI, the charter requires MSC Cruises to use fuel with less than 0.1% sulphur content from 2020 and requires them to commit to four other environmental pledges to preserve the bay of Cannes and its ecosystem. Cannes City Hall and Nice Côte d'Azur CCI will also offer incentives to MSC Cruises for helping to protect the bay.

“This signature is an obvious step for MSC Cruises, as Cannes is a key destination for our company,” said Patrick Pourbaix, managing director of MSC Cruises France. “Since 2014, nine ships of our fleet have visited Cannes and Villefranche-sur-Mer. In addition, nearly 70 calls are scheduled for 2019 and 2020. MSC Seaview will be positioned again between 4 April and 7 November 2020, performing weekly rotations.”

Signing the charter is the latest in a series of investments that MSC Cruises has made to minimise its environmental impact. The company is also equipping its fleet with advanced green technologies.

“While our signature becomes official today, I am pleased to confirm that MSC Cruises has been a forerunner in the implementation of initiatives related to the environmental protection work in the Bay of Cannes,” said Erminio Eschena, director of institutional affairs and industrial relations at MSC Cruises. “MSC Seaview, which has regularly visited Cannes throughout the entire summer season, already fulfils the four elements of the charter. I would like to compliment the charter’s quality, as it is fully aligned with the latest technological advances that the industry has developed.”

Eight cruise companies – three major groups and five independent companies – have signed the charter since 25 July 2019. Consequently, 93% of cruisers (420,460 passengers) visiting Cannes by the end of this year will have travelled with signatory companies. Cruise companies that refuse to sign the charter will be banned from disembarking their passengers in Cannes from 1 January 2020 onwards.

“The charter that we have signed today is an important step as it reconciles economic development and environmental preservation,” said Jean-Pierre Savarino, president of the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur. “This approach must also be a win-win for all its participants: the city, the port operator and cruise lines. They will be able to benefit from an incentive on the harbour fees per passenger and by every call. Compliance with these commitments will also be regularly monitored.”

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