Enel and Costa Cruises have signed a memorandum of understanding for promote sustainable maritime mobility through electrification solutions. The agreement will focus on Possibility of promoting projects to reduce Emissions during the entry and exit of cruise ships from ports and during stops at the quay, with innovative solutions that represent a further opportunity to accelerate the energy transition of the cruise sector, in particular through electrification.

Specifically, the protocol aims to carry out a "case pilot" of naval refitting - or interventions of technological improvement on a ship already in operation - aimed at eliminating local emissions in the phases of entry, stop and exit from the port, through the installation on the vessel of a battery power, combined with a power supply and electric charging from the ground. The objective of the refitting will transform a Costa cruise ship into a Zero-emission ship from entry into port until its exit, including the hours when it remains stationary on the quay, altogether about half of its operating day.

Another common area of commitment under the Protocol concerns the promotion of advocacy activities aimed at simplify and encourage energy efficiency, electrification and renewable energy production in the field of port, especially in port areas included in urban contexts, in line with the provisions of the European New Green Deal and PNIEC. One of the activities concerns the so-called "cold ironing", or nutrition of ships through the electrification of the land network during port stops, for which cruise ships are already equipping - with about a third of the Costa fleet already Prepared - in advance of the projects of "Cold" ironing" in the main Italian and Mediterranean ports, at the moment not yet realized.

A further point of the Memorandum of Understanding aims to promote the sustainable tourism, through the development of related initiatives sustainable electric mobility, both in the port area and in the city, aimed at the objective of progressive reduction of noise and air emissions, including cruise-related activities, such as excursions on land or intermodal connections between cities and ports.

The collaboration can also be extended abroad in the countries where the two groups are present, in particular Spain.