NCE Maritime CleanTech has established an expert group dedicated to making the cruise industry greener.
Cruise is one of the fastest growing sectors within international tourism and we see an increasing awareness of the environmental impact of these vessels. In the cluster seminar in Rosendal in August the partners agreed that there is a need for stricter environmental regulations for the cruise sector and NCE Maritime CleanTech has now established an expert group that will work for greener cruising. The group consists of members from the supplier industry, the Power sector and interest organisations.
– Exhaust and emissions from cruise vessels is a major problem both in the Norwegian fjords and in the rest of the world. This group will be a tool for showcasing the possibilities the industry has within zero emission technology and it will define issues and topics that will be promoted on behalf of the cluster, says CEO in NCE Maritime CleanTech, Hege Økland.
Technology is advancing fast
In the group’s first meeting the participants discussed amongst other potential measures for making cruising greener, such as shore power, zero and low emission solutions and new concepts.
The major technology shift in the Norwegian ferry sector, where more than 50 electric ferries will be in operation by 2020, offers great opportunities for a similar development within the cruise industry. The technology is advancing fast and the prices of maritime battery solutions are lowering. We see that cruise companies such as Hurtigruten and Color Line now utilise batteries in their newbuilds. Viking Cruises takes one step further and plans the world’s first hydrogen driven cruise vessels with zero emissions.
Such initiatives are very good, but they are not enough, says Økland.
– As the rest of the society turns towards low emissions and more environmentally friendly activities it is baffling that there is not more political pressure put on reducing the emissions of cruise vessels. Increasing this pressure will be an important task for the group, she says.