With a growing fleet of 17 ships, Hurtigruten is the world’s largest expedition cruise line. The company has invested heavily in green technology and is considered the world’s greenest cruise company. The next step is powering cruise ships with bio-LNG, produced from dead fish and other organic waste, being these vessels the first in the world to operate with this renewable fuel. By 2021, Hurtigruten plans to operate at least six of its ships on a combination of biogas, LNG and large battery packs.
“What other see as a problem, we see as a resource and a solution. By introducing biogas as fuel for cruise ships, we will be the first cruise company to power ships with fossil-free fuel,” said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “While competitors are running on polluting heavy fuel oil, our ships will literally be powered by nature. Biogas is the greenest fuel in shipping, and will be a huge advantage for the environment.”
After celebrating the 125-year anniversary, 2019 will mark two green milestones for Hurtigruten: introducing the world’s first battery-hybrid powered cruise ship, and starting a large-scale green upgrade project, replacing traditional diesel propulsion with battery packs and natural gas engines on several Hurtigruten ships.
“Hurtigruten’s decision to use biogas from organic waste is the kind of operational solutions we aim for. The waste is refined into fossil free energy. This solution also eliminates the emissions of sulfur, NOx and particles,” commented Frederic Hauge, founder and general manager of the NGO Bellona Foundation. “Hurtigruten has become a symbol of how to put responsibility into action. They have taken several important steps to improve their climate and environmental performance. Now they introduce the use of renewables in the cruise industry and that gives us hope for a change of pace in finding sustainable solutions.”
Moreover, Hurtigruten is currently building three hybrid powered expedition cruise ships at Norway’s Kleven Yard, which will be delivered in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The company expects to invest more than 850 million USD in building the world’s greenest cruise line.
Source: Hurtigruten
