Marseille is the leading French cruise port and the fourth in the Mediterranean with 1,750 million cruise passengers welcomed in 2018 and it targets two million in 2020. The local economic benefits are estimated at 350 million euros, with 3,000 direct or induced jobs.
This "Blue Charter" signed by Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited and Ponant, which represent 95% of passengers and 85% of stops in Marseille, provides four measures for "a significant reduction of air pollutant emissions" .
The signatories thus undertake to develop the electrical connections to the wharf to avoid running the engines of the ships during the stops.
They will maneuver in the harbor with less polluting fuel – Maritime Gas Oil 0.1% or LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) – promise to favor stopovers of LNG-powered ships and maintain a maximum speed of 10 knots. entrance and exit of the port.
The smoke emitted by the chimneys of cruise ships during their stopovers in Marseille are responsible for 40% of local emissions of nitrogen oxide, 32% of those of sulfur oxide and 15% of fine particles, according to figures from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
Associations of residents of the cruise terminal located in the northern districts of Marseille have repeatedly denounced this pollution, while the city has experienced many alerts last summer.
"This signature is an unprecedented and major step forward for the environment," said Herve Martel, Chairman of the Management Board of the Grand Maritime Port of Marseille (GPMM).
The GPMM wants by 2024 to multiply by five the supply of electricity, purchased at Enedis, for boats calling in its basins, and to 55 megawatts. Transformers will be installed to convert the current of 50 Hertz, norm in France, to 60 Hertz, American standard used by the cruise ships.
On a worldwide fleet of around 50,000 merchant ships, 400 cruise ships sail the world, 80 of which cross the Mediterranean.
Source link
https://fr.reuters.com/article/topNews/idFRKBN1WW1NP-OFRTP
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