Cruise Ships Strive To Be Environmentally Friendly

Posted on Jan 28 in Travelling and Snowboardingby NickyPrint

In the latest ‘eco-friendly’ move by governments to reduce carbon emissions from various modes of transport, the cruising industry has been put under the microscope and asked to invest in more sustainable and cleaner ship developments in the coming years. A number of damming environmental reports that showed cruising to be one of the most eco unfriendly forms of transport helped many cruise companies to reassess their operations. Additionally, there is added incentive from the fact that carbon emissions above a certain level are soon to be heavily taxed, which of course no cruise company will like. Here are 3 of the latest ‘green’ cruising developments.

Improved Ship Efficiency. The effect of ship design and construction on the environment was not top priority twenty years ago, but now ship builders are using clever materials and efficient designs. The materials are getting lighter so less energy is needed for propulsion, soft sails are often being included, and a company in Ireland have pioneered a biogas-powered engine, set to soon be used by Cunard Cruises. The very same Irish company are also working on hydrodynamic hulls that actually convert wave energy into forward momentum.

Hybrid Boats. A number of cars and trucks have been developed with hybrid fuel-battery engines now and have integrated very well with the more traditional vehicles. Now ship builders such as those making boats for Silversea Cruises are getting in on the action and making boats that couple the traditional diesel power with electrical power. When a ship comes into harbor it is connected to the shoreside power source and gets a quick charge up of its huge batteries

Cargo-Pooling. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is ‘cargo sharing’. If a cruise ship has not filled all its spaces, it can offer to carry commercial cargo for other companies sending things to the same place, for a small commission of course. A few extra bucks are earned by the cruise companies who would have otherwise wasted space, the company who are shipping the cargo massively save on costs and less pollution is released into the environment. Everyone’s a winner.