Rotten fish to power Norwegian Cruise liner’s newest ships
Hurtigruten, one of the Nordic region’s most famous cruise ship operators, is investing over £640 million to modify its 17-strong fleet. This investment will lower the company’s emissions and lessen its environmental impact by funding the installation of new, bio-fuelled engines.
One man’s rubbish is another’s treasure
When it was announced in November that Hurtigruten would be powering its newest ships using biogas produced by organic waste, the company’s CEO, Daniel Skjeldam, explained: “What others see as a problem, we see as a resource and a solution.
“While competitors are running on cheap, polluting, heavy fuel oil, our ships will literally be powered by nature. Biogas is the greenest fuel in shipping and will be a huge advantage for the environment. Hopefully, other cruise companies will follow suit[”.
The company plans to introduce the world’s first battery-powered, hybrid-ship and aims to fuel at least six ships with a combination of biogas and liquefied natural gas. These developments are a huge step for an industry that has often been seen to lack environmental awareness.
Bigger than Japan
Hurtigruten’s announcement comes at a time when the environmental credentials of the shipping industry have been under increasing scrutiny.
This festive season, 90% of the clothes, toys and electronics in supermarkets will have arrived from across the world via container ship.
It is estimated that just 15 of the mega-ships that carry goods across the world’s oceans produce as much carbon dioxide as all the cars in the world. If the shipping industry was a country, it would be the sixth biggest CO2 polluter, ranking between Germany and Japan.
A positive change
The Paris climate agreement – signed by 195 nations in 2015 – has led to a worldwide re-think on how the structures of global trade impact the environment.
At Kinetic we believe that every decent business must make a sustainable profit while doing as little damage to the environment as possible.
By not shying away from the difficult challenge of climate change, Hurtigruten is contributing positively to the environment. By implementing proactive measures to reduce their environmental impact, they’re showing Hurtigruten is a decent business -and every decent business deserves to be trusted.
