How can cruise lines get creative to reduce their environmental impact? Colin Nicholson finds out on a Uniworld sailing on the Rhine


Food for thought


DESTINATIONS RHINE | CRUISE


c travelweekly.co.uk


ruises are rarely associated with sustainable travel, but the sector is


going through a period of rapid change. Clia has pledged that its member lines are aiming to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as part of the International Maritime Organization’s global strategy for shipping, and many of its ocean and river lines are introducing ships powered by a variety of alternative fuels.


FLEET FOCUS


Uniworld is one of those experimenting with biofuel, with all sailings that refuel in the Netherlands running entirely on recycled cooking oil and fats. To find out more about Uniworld’s sustainability practices, I boarded the newest addition to its Rhine


fleet, Elisabeth, moored just 700 metres from the Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam and a short walk from the historic centre. Yet this prime spot is not a given, as the city intends to cut its river berths by 10% this year and ban ships that don’t comply with its environmental requirements from docking anywhere in the city. What the port does offer, however, is a supply of HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), a diesel substitute used by all three of Uniworld’s Super


Ships on the Rhine – first by 152-passenger Antoinette, followed by Elisabeth and sister ship Victoria, which carry just 110 passengers each.


Built in 2017, Elisabeth has an airy, modern style and its glass-roofed lounge offered a spectacular view as we slid silently out of the city.


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Uniworld’s Elisabeth on the Rhine near Koblenz, Germany PICTURE: Uniworld


22 JANUARY 2026 55


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