Marcel Goncalves, Vice President, Decarbonization, Carnival Corporation

Cruise company Carnival Corporation unpacks the learning from its experience spearheading shore power in this new episode of the First Movers series.

Marcel explains how a combination of geography, available renewable electricity supplies and community support led Carnival Corporation to develop shore power in Juneau, Alaska, back in 2001. 

Nearly 25 years later, he acknowledges that the use of shore power across the fleet of 90 ships remains relatively small, given that only 33 of the 800 ports where the vessels call (about 4%) currently offer shore power. 

Nevertheless, he argues that the investment in making vessels capable of using shore power, which runs into the millions per ship, was worth it. 

While he recognises that shore power does not make sense for all ports due to insufficient grid capacity or a lack of maritime traffic, he argues that the investment would make commercial sense for many more ports. He points to the importance of leadership from port authorities in driving initiatives like shore power, and shares his view on why deployment has been sluggish in the past two decades. 

Marcel also responds to the wider debate about sustainability in the cruise sector. He points out that by improving energy efficiency, the company has lowered its greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity per passenger by 41% compared to 2008 levels and peaked its total emissions in 2011 despite growing its business by 37%. 

However, he emphasises that the transition to alternative fuels depends on many factors outside cruise lines’ control, such as the availability of new fuels at an economically viable price. Describing hydrogen and ammonia as currently unrealistic for the sector, he explains why the company has opted for the LNG pathway, with 10 LNG-capable ships in its fleet and 8 more expected to be delivered by 2033. 

Finally, he reflects on how Carnival Corporation’s experience with shore power development revealed the importance of a long-term vision and collaboration to achieve progress on decarbonisation.