The Norwegian expedition cruise line Hurtigruten is going to do their part to help the environment. The 125-year-old company is aiming to convert six of its 17 ships to use biogas, liquified natural gas, and large battery packs by 2021.
The biogas will be generated with waste fish parts – leftovers of fish processed for food – and mixed with other organic waste to use green energy to power their polluting cruise liners. Biogas is the result of speeding up the natural decomposition process and capturing the methane produced. Liquified natural gas is a fossil fuel, but it is cleaner than many alternatives.
Battery power is also a promising technology for ocean transport. It has been difficult building batteries that are powerful enough to last an entire voyage, but advances in battery manufacturing are starting to make it possible.
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“Norway is a large shipping nation, but fishery and forestry are also large sectors. They create jobs and produce income, but they also produce a lot of waste products. The steady access to high volumes of organic waste gives the Nordic countries a unique position on the biogas market. We are pushing for more innovation, more investment. I believe we have just seen the beginning of what in a few years will be a huge sector,” says Daniel Skjeldam, the chief executive of Hurtigruten.
Ocean transport vessels currently use heavy fossil fuels, and it is an ever-increasing problem because they pollute more than fuels used by land vehicles and they emit sulfur and other contaminants. The daily greenhouse gas emissions from the largest cruise liners in the world are more than the emissions of a million cars.
The cruise ship fuels are contributing to air pollution and climate change. But, this change to biogas will cut down the number of pollutants, plus it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Hurtigruten is also banning single-use plastics as part of their plan to be more environmentally sustainable. The company is also currently building three new hybrid-powered ships that will be delivered over the next three years.
According to The Guardian, the company operates its cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, which are both highly sensitive environments.
Via The Guardian
Images via michaelmep
