This week, we have teamed up with Seatrade Cruise once again to this time look at sustainable tech in cruise. Head over to the Seatrade website for the original article (link below), or read a summary here.
As 2022 nears an end, cruise lines are increasing their focus on sustainability for 2023. In IT for cruise, we’re always trying to leverage technology to improve the customer experience. Now though, there is more pressure to ensure that tech innovation has a positive impact on the environment. The demand for ‘green initiatives’ is bigger than ever before, and rightly so. Here then we look at some good examples of sustainable tech in cruise.
Read the original article from theICEway, as published by Seatrade Cruise.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
CLIA Cruise lines are attempting to achieve net zero carbon cruising by 2050, with 3 main areas of focus:
- Reducing the carbon footprint of ships- Increasing investment in onboard environmental technologies
- Working on sustainable destination management with cities and ports
To achieve their objective, they are deploying 3 core strategies:
- Fuel – Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is being utilised on more ships
- Electricity – Shore-side electricity solutions and systems are receiving much more investment
- Wastewater – 78% of the CLIA cruise line fleet capacity features advanced wastewater treatment systems; 100% of new ships on order will have them
‘Green’ Tech Innovations
The cruise industry is also embracing innovations including Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS). Many ships have air lubrication systems for their hulls and energy-efficient engines, too.
Let’s look then at some actual examples of ‘sustainable tech’ from some of the major cruise lines:
- Aurora Expeditions’ Virtual anchoring
- Virgin Voyages’ heat power system which converts engine heat into electricity
- A silent, emission-free battery pack from Sea Dream Yacht Club
- The Sail & Sustain programme from NCL
Aurora Expeditions
Aurora’s Greg Mortimer Expedition Ship has some fantastic facilities including virtual anchoring. A combination of GPS, steering technology, propellers and then thrusters allow the vessel to hold its position without a traditional anchor.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin’s Scarlet Lady has a Climeon heat power system which generates clean electricity. The system can effectively deliver up to 50% higher efficiencies than other solutions available.
Sea Dream Yacht Club
The SeaDream Innovation ship launched in 2021 and features a battery pack that enables it to sail silently and without emissions for up to three hours.
NCL
Norwegian Cruise Line have injected sustainability into all day-to-day operations. They mainly focus upon water stewardship & conservation, waste mitigation and energy conservation. Through innovations such as EGCS, SOx emissions are reduced by up to 99%.
Sustainable tech in cruise is becoming ever more commonplace. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is very much on the agenda for organisations large and small. What then lays ahead? Time will tell, but cruise certainly seems to be heading in the right direction.
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