Today in the port of Valletta the mass was inaugurated as a function of the Onshore Power Supply, the system to allow ships on the quay to connect to the shore electricity grid and to turn off the on-board engines to reduce emissions. It is of the first system of its kind installed in Malta thanks to a €33 million investment co-financed by the European Fund Connecting Europe Facility.

Speaking at the ceremony, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela highlighted that, with the investment, "Malta is one of the first nations to have supply to ships of energy electric floor power capable of simultaneously powering a maximum of five cruise ships. But - he added - we are not there Stop here. This is a project that we will extend not only to the Porto Grande, but also in Malta Freeport".

According to forecasts, the project, which has been inaugurated by supplying electricity to the MSC cruise ship World Europa, will make it possible to avoid the introduction into atmosphere of about 30,400 tons of CO2 per year. Until the end of the summer season MSC World Europa will connect every Wednesday to the electricity grid of the Port of Malta as part of the weekly cruise itinerary that touches Malta, Spain, France and Italy. MSC Cruises' goal by the end of 2024, when 16 of the company's 22 ships will be equipped to connect to earth-based power grids, it is to make 220 connections to shore power in ports that already they are equipped with them in China, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and Malta. MSC Cruises' ships are already ready to use the connection in other ports, as they become will equip. In addition, the company aims to add at least 15 new lead to its shore power plan between 2024 and 2026: among them there are five in Italy (Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Trieste), as well as Barcelona, Hamburg, Valencia, Marseille and Copenhagen. MSC Cruises is also directly preparing the shore power system also in its cruise terminal in Miami, currently under construction, which will be fully operational next year.