Bloom Energy, Chantiers de lAtlantique, and MSC Chart a Course for Cruise Ships Powered by Clean Energy
December 16, 2021 at 07:58 am EST
Bloom Energy Corporation, Chantiers de lAtlantique (CdA), and the cruise division of MSC Group announced plans to launch the first cruise ship operating on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The MSC World Europa, a new cruise liner currently under construction at the CdA shipyard, will be fitted with 150 kilowatts of Bloom fuel cells. Bloom will provide auxiliary power to the ship through liquefied natural gas (LNG). Blooms fuel-flexible platform is designed to generate electricity 20% to 30% more efficiently through a non-combustion electrochemical process when utilizing LNG compared to traditional marine combustion-based propulsion and auxiliary engines. When running on LNG, Bloom Energys technology reduces carbon equivalent emissions up to 60% compared to incumbent propulsion sources, such as dual fuel diesel electric, and emits virtually zero harmful air pollutants like sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. This deployment of Blooms solid oxide technology onboard the MSC World Europa is part of a broader strategy for the cruise division of MSC Group.