08NOV2019 - NEWS - MSC Cruises to Install Solid Oxide Fuel Cell on MSC Europa

At the steel-cutting ceremony for the newbuild MSC Europa, MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique announced plans to install a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) on the future LNG-powered ship, expanding the list of shipbuilders and owners with an interest in SOFC technology. The fuel cell will produce electricity and heat using natural gas, not hydrogen. 
 
It will be the world's first solid oxide fuel cell installed aboard a cruise ship. The proven technology operates at a very high temperature and is capable of converting hydrocarbons into electrical power. It offers a very good electrical efficiency of up to 60 percent, the partners said. By comparison, the most efficient low-speed marine diesel engine on the market weighs in with a 54 percent maximum energy conversion efficiency; on shore, the world's most efficient combined-cycle gas turbine power plant achieves about 63 percent efficiency.