Environment


SWAP2ZERO is supported by France 2030 and the EU Innovation Fund.


“We need the support of all regulatory bodies to define the applicable rules,” he says. “We need shipyards to collaborate and commit to investing time and taking risks with us in developing such a vessel. And then we need to be trained, to increase our knowledge, and develop our skills to operate such a vessel efficiently and safely.”


Another eco-conscious cruise line is Hurtigruten, which is looking to achieve ‘Sea Zero’ (a ship with zero emission propulsion) by 2030. Together with science institute SINTEF, it will explore the latest solutions in energy efficiency and battery power. Possible design features may include a 60MWh battery bank, retractable wind and solar sails, and smart cabins with real-time energy monitoring.


“The noise pollution, the disruption of marine ecosystems, the waste management is often questionable at best.”


Anthony Côté-Leduc


The percentage that ships must slash their emissions by 2030, compared with 2008 levels.


40% IMO 16


“We are now upgrading our fleet, cutting CO2 emissions by 25%. Still, for our precious nature and for future generations, we have to do more,” said Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten. Yet another standout in this space is MSC, which has committed to build exclusively fuel-flexible ships. For instance, MSC Euribia is powered by bio-LNG and features several energy efficiency measures. It was marketed as ‘the industry’s first net-zero greenhouse gas emissions voyage’ when it set sail in 2023. And while full electrification is some way off for now – the battery capacity just isn’t there yet – some vessels do have the ability to sail short distances without additional fuel sources. This could be useful in sensitive environmental areas, where emission-free sailing may soon be required. Couple that with an increase in shoreside charging infrastructure, and it’s clear that electrification is a promising avenue for the future.


All in but a lot to do Despite the work under way, Côté-Leduc remains cynical. He remarks that while he’s ‘all for’ exploring net-zero solutions, the industry’s techno- optimism is unwarranted – for as long as the industry is growing, it will be hard to make environmental progress. “For every Le Charcot Commandant, how many [environmentally damaging] monster ships are out there being built or marketed?” he says. “So the gains are there, but they’re so marginal and so specific that when you look at the industry as a whole, you can’t not see it as a problem. The solutions are not systemic solutions – they’re tweaks to a business model that is based on excess and environmental degradation.” He also doesn’t believe that battery technologies are all they’re cracked up to be, given that they may still rely on fossil fuels. “Let’s say you plug in a port city where you have a pit stop – who says that the electricity in that port city comes from clean energy?” he points out. “You’re just moving the problem from the consumption directly on the ship, from the power plants that power the ship.” Petiteau, for his part, does not deny that the industry has a long way to go. However, he believes that cruise lines are entering a phase of ‘virtuous competition’, in which any given company can influence the market by showcasing its green technologies. If, in the 1990s, transoceanic passenger ships competed for the fastest cruising speeds, then today’s cruise lines are competing to integrate new fuels, treatment systems and equipment. “There is nothing at sea as complex as a cruise vessel,” he remarks. “Those vessels are true technical and environmental laboratories where we can experiment with new systems daily, growing competences and knowledge. The time is now to share the knowledge, share the progress and share the difficulties we face, so that we all benefit, and can accelerate this eco-energetic transition.” ●


World Cruise Industry Review / www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com


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