Bureau Veritas confirms MSC’s strong green credentials
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 20, 2013) - MSC Cruises today announced that its latest flagship, MSC Preziosa, which is set to debut on March 23rd in Genoa, has received the “7 Golden Pearls” award from Bureau Veritas, a global leader in environmental risk analysis and certification.
The “7 Golden Pearls” award is a reflection of MSC Cruises’ ongoing commitment to safeguarding the marine ecosystem, as well as protecting the health and safety of its passengers and staff. It is one of the highest awards given to cruise vessels in recognition of specific voluntary attention given to design, building and operation in line with the organization’s “Quality Health Safety Environment” (QHSE) standards.
With a strong track record in green efforts, the company’s energy efficiency matches the industry-leading eco-ship and clean ship credentials. Its green efforts have been recognized over the years with a string of environmental certifications, alongside awards praising its creative interior design, comfort, cuisine and friendly service.
The sections covered in the “7 Golden Pearls” award include a classification as “CLEANSHIP 2” for the three domains of potential air, water and waste pollution. It targets theAdvanced Waste Water Treatment, which is unique in the cruise industry and acknowledges that the ship is fitted with the means to prevent the release of pollutants or waste matter into the sea and air.
According to Philippe Donche-Gay, Executive Vice President and head of Bureau Veritas’ Marine & Offshore Division, “The ‘7 Golden Pearls’ award demonstrates MSC Cruises’ commitment to the environment, food safety and the overall health and safety of its workforce. MSC Cruises takes a holistic view of its responsibilities in all these areas and invests to go well beyond the basic requirements of regulation. It is a great pleasure to be able to verify and recognise these achievements, which set a new and higher integrated standard for the entire cruise industry.”
The award also:
- - validates that MSC Preziosa has been designed, built, operated and maintained to achieve appropriate protection for the environment.
- - covers annexes I, IV,V and VI of MARPOL (The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) as well as the very strict rules on waste and ballast water management, the anti-fouling system and pollution by ozone-depleting substances.
- - validates that the vessel is fully equipped with high incineration capacities, advanced water treatment systems, the newest oil water separators, and vast storage capacities for two days full operation at sea.
Fleet wide, MSC Cruises vessels are certified as follows:
- ISO 14001- Certification of the highest standards of the Environmental Management System, requiring a complete coherent management system of all environmental aspects and impacts of all activities.
- OHSAS 18001 – Certification for the highest standards of the Safety Management System requiring complete management of health and safety of workers on board and in the company’s head office.
- ISO 22000 – Certification for the highest standards of Food Safety Management, ensuring complete and validated safety of all food processes, from farm to fork.
- And the newly acquired ‘pearl’ ISO 50001 – Certification for MSC Preziosa’s highest standards of Energy Performance, requiring an energy management system that follows a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement of the ship’s energy performance.
For more information about MSC Cruises, visit us online at www.msccruisesusa.com.
About MSC Cruises:
MSC Cruises is a privately-held, family-owned, Italian cruise line with a fleet of 12 ships: MSC Magnifica, MSC Splendida, MSC Fantasia, MSC Divina, MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra,MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Preziosa and MSC Lirica. The MSC Divina, a sister ship to MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida, debuted in May 2012, with sister ship MSC Preziosa scheduled to debut in March 2013. The fleet cruises year-round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, theCaribbean, the French Antilles, South America, South and West Africa, The United Arab Emirates and the Red Sea.
About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in conformity assessment and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has 58,000 employees in 940 offices and 340 laboratories located in 140 countries. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Visit www.bureauveritas.com for corporate information and www.veristar.com for marine information.
