Page 35 - BILANCIO DI SOSTENIBILITÀ 2019 RISULTATI E PROSPETTIVE

35

EMISSION

REDUCTION

Over the years, Costa has invested in many energy efficiency systems, optimizing fuel
use and reducing emissions. Each member of the fleet has a ship-specific Ship Energy
Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). Performance monitoring is carried out by means
of a specific tool, Neptune Engine, enabling measurement and management of all
critical ship data so as to ensure enhanced action plans and reduce human error in data
gathering. In order to bring our existing vessels into line with the high standards of our
latest generation ships, in 2019 we continued to install and perfect the Advanced Air
Quality System (AAQS, aka scrubbers or exhaust gas cleaning systems), with outfitting
fleetwide due for completion by 2021. This retrofitting of exhaust gas cleaning technology
7
combines the removal of SOx emissions with the substantial reduction of PM and PAH ,
both at sea and during maneuvering in port. Costa has performed continuous monitoring
of the effectiveness of the AAQS. This includes an independent study carried out by the
research organization CE Delft and published in 2019; the results show that open-loop
7 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. scrubbers (the system mainly used by Costa’s ships) have only a minimal impact on water
8 For further information, see the report: quality and sediment . These systems have proven to be a safe and effective solution also
8
“The impacts of EGCS washwater discharges on port water
and sediment” (CE Delft, 2019). as regards compliance both with the new IMO 2020 regulation on fuels and the sulfur cap,

and with ambient air and water quality international standards. Also during the reporting
year, we continued with several existing upgrade projects, such as the installation of
systems designed to save fuel and reduce engine emissions, optimization of navigation
systems and continuous improvement of the methods of periodical ship maintenance and
cleaning. To move closer to the objective of zero emission ships, the Costa Crociere Group
is researching further pioneering sustainable alternative technology. For example, we are
testing Shore Power – namely, the process of providing electrical power from the shore
to a vessel at berth, thereby allowing the ship’s diesel-fueled auxiliary engines to be turned
IMPLEMENTING MINIMIZING INCREASING DESIGNING off. By plugging in and shutting off these engines, shore power virtually eliminates diesel
energy-saving fuel use and engine efficiency through sustainable ships for
initiatives emissions continuous greater efficiency emissions and other air pollutants that would otherwise come from running the vessel’s
maintenance
on-board auxiliary engines. We are pursuing these systems, aka cold ironing, in synergy
with ports for the construction of the necessary infrastructure. In addition, at Group
level, within the next two years pilot projects will start testing applications of lithium-ion
batteries and hydrogen batteries, installed for the first time on Costa Crociere Group
ships, with a view to extending the technology fleetwide. 50% of our fleet will be equipped
to use Shore Power by 2020.