In particular, the partnership agreement is the result of the common interest of the partners to carry out a study for the implementation of a shore power system connecting cruise ships to the power grid in the Port of Marseille Fos. The study will also validate the technical, environmental and financial feasibility for the realization of a system that the simultaneous connection of two cruise ships powered by renewable energies.

Pôle Mer Méditerranée, French sea innovation and business cluster, which aims to sustainably develop the maritime and coastal economy in the Mediterranean basin in Europe and worldwide, will be the coordinator for this pilot study. According the agreement with Costa and the Port of Marseille Fos, the Pôle Mer Méditerranée will bring together the best companies chosen for their industrial technical skills and will submit a possible roadmap for the realization of the project.

The official signing of the partnership took place onboard COSTA SMERALDA, during the official presentation of the new flagship to the institutions and partners of Marseille. COSTA SMERALDA and AIDANOVA are the first two LNG cruise ships in the world calling regularly Marseille. "Costa Group is committed to be the leader in sustainable cruising and we have been frontrunners in understanding the need to study, invest and implement sustainable innovation.

Our industrial plan incorporates the key principles of the United Nations 2030 agenda and we aim to cooperate with institutions, research centers and port authorities to join forces. The agreement we sign today is a further sign of our commitment to the Marseille communityand of the strong cooperation we have built with the Port of Marseille. Together with our partners and all stakeholders, we want to accelerate the search for and the implementation of concrete sustainable solutions in Marseille”, declared Michael Thamm Group CEO Costa Group and Carnival Asia.

« With Costa Group and Pôle Mer Méditerranée, with the support of the Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’énergie (ADEME), we are now taking another step in our common ambition to improve air quality in Marseille by mid-2024. Through the research to be carried out within the framework of the study, we wish to implement a new dimension of our overall project of connecting passenger ships in the port of Marseille Fos, which will allow for the integration of additional locally produced renewable electricity generation on the port’s distribution grid.

The ambition is to achieve the elimination of air emissions from moored cruise ships using greener and economically sustainable electricity» declared Hervé Martel, Port of Marseille Fos CEO. « As worldwide cluster dedicated to innovation in the blue economy, we are deeply involved in the sustainable development of smartport, greenport, smartship and greenship. We are very proud that Costa Group and the port of Marseille Fos have been entrusted with the coordination and production of this very important study. This project is strategic for the future of cruise ship activities in Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and his first cruise harbour “Marseille”, concluded Patrick BARAONA, Director of Pôle Mer Méditerranée.

The Costa Group is already investing significantly in sustainable technologies and innovative projects in the broad sense to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet. In addition to being a pioneer of LNG technology, approximately 50% of the fleet is equipped or preequipped with an electrical shore power connection. In addition, around 70% of the group's vessels currently in service are equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems called "Advanced Air Quality Systems", which guarantee the reduction of particles and Sulphur oxide.

Their construction was made in partnership with Ecospray Technologies, a Company belonging to the Costa Group and leader in cruise sector in smoke and emission treatments. The group is also planning the use of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells: in 2020, AIDAPRIMA will be the first cruise battery ship, thanks to an innovative battery supply retrofit agreement done with Corvus Energy.