Thu Dec 26 15:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Cruise Line’s “Green” Fuel Claims Challenged, Ads Pulled
**London, UK** – MSC Cruises has been forced to retract advertising claims promoting its use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a “clean” and “green” fuel following a complaint by the NGO Opportunity Green. The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled in favor of Opportunity Green, determining that MSC’s marketing materials, used in a global campaign, were misleading. The campaign touted the LNG used in ships like the MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia as environmentally friendly, despite LNG being a fossil fuel with significant methane emissions.
Opportunity Green argues that the ads misrepresented LNG’s environmental impact, highlighting the potent greenhouse gas effect of methane, which is far more impactful than CO2 over a 20-year period. This, the NGO states, contradicts the Paris Agreement’s climate goals. This isn’t the first time MSC Cruises has faced scrutiny for its LNG marketing; earlier this year, a Dutch advertising regulator reached a similar conclusion.
While MSC Cruises, a member of the SEA-LNG industry group, has undertaken initiatives to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including a net-zero GHG voyage using bio-LNG, the ASA ruling underscores the ongoing debate surrounding LNG’s role in the decarbonization of the shipping industry. SEA-LNG defends LNG, citing studies showing significant GHG emission reductions compared to traditional fuels and highlighting ongoing efforts to minimize methane slip. However, other research points to higher upstream methane emissions from LNG production and transport.
MSC Cruises has agreed to remove the offending advertisements and commit to more accurate future marketing. Opportunity Green plans to continue its campaign, targeting other companies still using the misleading claims in their advertising. The ongoing controversy highlights the complexities of greenwashing in the cruise industry and the need for transparent and accurate environmental claims.
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