Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

4 4 are the shareholders. Our fundamental business decision-making criteria is to consider whether something is good for our company, our people and our future. We don’t have to prove a return on investment, we only have to know that it’s the right thing to do.” Investing in the right people and nurturing their personal and professional development is a fundamental part of MSC Cruises’ business strategy. “Our people give a great deal to the company across every business area, so it’s essential that they are engaged in, part of, and benefit from what we’re doing,” explains Vago. “Succeeding in a career at MSC Cruises is not about gaining titles or study certificates but developing dedication, curiosity, collaboration and professionalism. We don’t seek to buy great people from outside the business, we aim to nurture them from within. We have over 100,000 people around the world in the MSC Group and we give all of them the opportunity to progress their careers. Giving this sense of equality, belonging and ownership makes people invested in their role and seek to contribute to improvement initiatives.” People are also an essential pillar of MSC Cruises’ environmental sustainability strategy, which has remained a priority during the pandemic. “Our sustainability initiatives reflect on our family values and this helps to engender a greater sense of pride and belonging for our people,” says Vago. “Our sustainability mission incorporates short-, medium- and long-term investments. We amortise a $1 billion ship over 30 years but we’re analysing new technologies to improve its environmental performance throughout its lifetime.” The company has already made swift progress towards reaching its sustainability goals. “We’ve done an incredible job in solving a lot of issues, from recycling to water treatment,” says Vago. “Our reductions in carbon dioxide have also been dramatic, but it remains the biggest hurdle to overcome in the future as we seek zero emissions. We’re still investing in research and development in this area, including biofuels, hydrogen, fuel cells and batteries. And we’re partnering with other companies and industries to help accelerate the pace of innovation.” With operators around the world increasing efforts to make cruising more environmentally sustainable and the mass roll-out of enhanced health and safety protocols and Covid-19 vaccinations, Vago is “very confident” that the industry will soon be successful once again. “There is no other vacation choice that offers such wonderful adventures for such amazing value for money – we’ve proved it in the past and we’ll prove it again in the future,” he explains. “Holidays in 2021 and beyond will become even more meaningful. People have been through a psychologically challenging year and will want to get outside in the sun, meet friends and visit new places. “Cruising has a really exciting future – for passengers, for the industry and of course for MSC Cruises. In addition to fully restarting operations, welcoming our new ships, visiting new destinations and advancing our environmental and other initiatives, we’ve got a totally new cruise brand to launch!” CFR MSC Cruises has introduced multiple new health and safety protocols to mitigate the risk of Covid-19, including additional sanitation measures, testing for guests and crew, and temperature checks INTERV IEW