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00:02 - Hello and welcome to Genoa in Northwestern Italy,
00:07 a city rich in maritime heritage and history.
00:11 We're here to find out how the cruise industry
00:14 is working to reduce its environmental footprint,
00:17 charting a more sustainable future.
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00:23 Genoa is a favorite on Europe's cruise map.
00:28 Passenger movements reached 1.7 million last year.
00:32 The latest cruise liners are also built here.
00:36 The industry says it's focusing on more efficient ships
00:40 powered by alternative fuels
00:42 as it pursues net zero carbon cruising by 2050.
00:47 - For the shipping industry,
00:48 but we could say the same for any type of industry,
00:52 there are not technologies or accessibility
00:56 to alternative fuels that can drive us to the zero emission.
01:00 So for us, the challenge is working, investing
01:03 and innovating in order to achieve that goal.
01:07 Our role is to, first of all, to test and demonstrate
01:12 that these alternative fuel can be part of our transition
01:17 to the zero emission goal
01:19 and to work in order to create the supply chain.
01:24 - Last year, the cruise ship MSC Euribia
01:27 completed what's described as the industry's first
01:30 net zero greenhouse gas emissions voyage.
01:33 Operator MSC Cruises brought in 400 tons
01:37 of bio-liquefied natural gas
01:40 for what was a symbolic moment for the sector.
01:43 The cruise industry is also pursuing batteries
01:50 and fuel cells.
01:51 This laboratory is run by technology company
01:54 EcoSpray and the University of Genoa.
01:58 Here, the focus is on fuel cells,
02:00 which could capture up to 90%
02:02 of a cruise ship's carbon emissions and generate energy.
02:07 - They are trying different cells configuration,
02:10 different materials, and they are trying to find
02:14 the best way to mass produce in an industrial way
02:19 those molten carbon and fuel cells.
02:21 We believe that this kind of technology
02:23 is one of the most suitable, if not the most suitable,
02:26 for the passenger ships, especially then for the cruise ships.
02:31 - Onboard cruise ships, waste is being converted to energy.
02:35 And in ports like Genoa,
02:37 shoreside electricity is being installed.
02:40 Cruise liners can plug in while berth,
02:43 meaning engines can be cut.
02:45 All the EU's main ports must provide this by 2030.
02:50 - Shoreside electricity is obviously good
02:53 to cut our emissions, but it is also for us
02:56 one of the essential elements to work with the destination
03:00 and make sure that cruise tourism is sustainable tourism.
03:04 - The EU is targeting emission cuts
03:09 across the maritime sector.
03:11 Last year, European Commission President
03:13 Ursula von der Leyen christened the world's first
03:16 container ship that can run on methanol.
03:19 EU regulation is seen as key
03:21 to unlocking the alternative fuels.
03:24 - What is needed at the moment is to create demand
03:27 from the industry so the investors can put their money
03:31 into production and make those fuels at scale.
03:34 For that, we need to have governmental policy,
03:36 we need to have regulations,
03:38 and those regulations need to come at all levels,
03:40 at the national level, at the European level,
03:42 as well as at the international level.
03:47 - In the EU, an emissions trading system
03:50 is now covering large ships, putting a price
03:53 on CO2 emissions.
03:55 And as part of the Fuel EU Maritime Initiative,
03:58 dependence on traditional fuels will be gradually reduced
04:02 from 2025 onwards.
04:05 - The EU has probably the most comprehensive setup
04:09 when it comes to regulatory requirements.
04:11 What I would also like to see is that that framework
04:14 that already pushes several companies to go ahead
04:17 will not end up penalizing the front runners.
04:19 They are the ones who are testing solutions.
04:22 - At the Italian Shipping Academy in Genoa,
04:28 the next generation of maritime professionals
04:30 are navigating the sustainability journey ahead,
04:34 harnessing digital technologies,
04:36 and also mastering new types of engines and fuels.
04:40 - The future of cruising is definitely with a vision
04:44 of delivering of our net zero target
04:47 and being able to become the best way
04:49 to discover the world sustainably.
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