Malta Freeport Terminals CEO Alex Montebello has welcomed an announcement by Malta Minister for Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri that the tender for a shore to ship power system at the Freeport has been issued. Mr Montebello said this project would lead to cleaner air, less noise and vibration and less C02 impacting the atmosphere, further strengthening the Freeport’s environmental credentials as well as reducing significantly inconvenience to residents caused by engines of berthed container ships. Mr Schembri said during a visit to the Freeport that by 2024, cargo ships using the Terminals will switch off their engines as soon as they complete the berthing process and make use of the electrical system – thereby reducing pollution and noise. Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said the project would cost around € 13 million, co-financed by the European Union through the Just Transition Fund. Malta Freeport is proud to be already handling the most modern 23,000 TEU vessels in the CMA CGM fleet, which are powered by LNG and emit 20% less CO2 than conventional vessels. These LNG vessels are deployed on the FAL1 service which calls Malta every week en route from North Europe to Asia.