Norwegian passenger and expedition cruise ship operator Hurtigruten says it will make a significant investment in shipboard batteries, shore power, and biofuel in order to achieve a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions from its Norwegian coastal fleet.
As part of the investment, all seven ships in Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express’ fleet will undergo significant environmental upgrades by 2023. All seven of the ships are already installed with shore-power connectivity to eliminate emissions while in port. With the upgrades, three ships – MS Richard With, MS Nordlys, and MS Kong Harald – will undergo a full-fledged transformation to battery-hybrid power with the installation of new low-emission engines and large battery packs.
Across the seven ships, the upgrades will reduce CO2 emissions by 25% and cut NOx emissions by 80%, according to Hurtigruten.
“The world’s most beautiful voyage just got even better. We are combining the best available technical solutions and cutting CO2 emissions along the Norwegian coast with at least a quarter. And most importantly, we are laying the foundation for introducing new and even more efficient environmental solutions as they are developed,” said Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express CEO Hedda Felin.
The conversion of three ships mentioned above will be conducted in partnership with Kongsberg Maritime, who has partnered with Norway’s Myklebust yard for the first battery-hybrid upgrade.
“This is one of the largest environmental vessel upgrade projects that has been done in Europe. For us, it’s rewarding to work with a company which shares our ambitious approach to technology and environmental issues. The green upgrades of Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express’ ships represent a sustainable choice for their existing fleet,” said President Egil Haugsdal of Kongsberg Maritime.
Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express is part of Hurtigruten Group, the world’s leading adventure travel group, which also includes Hurtigruten Expeditions, the world’s largest expedition cruise line.
According to Hurtigruten, all seven Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express ships will also be certified to use biofuel as a fuel starting this summer. Hurtigruten Expeditions will also start trials with biofuel on selected ships and selected itineraries in 2021.
“Our goal is to operate all our ships and all our cruises completely emission-free. While we get one step closer day-by-day, we cannot sit idle and wait for the technology to be in place. We are working closely with our partners do drive change, move boundaries while we at the same time utilize the best solutions available already today,” said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
Hurtigruten Expeditions previously launched the world’s first battery-hybrid-powered cruise ships, MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen. Starting this spring, Hurtigruten Expeditions will begin the conversion of its MS Finnmarken to battery-hybrid power, renaming it MS Otto Sverdrup.
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