Christian Little

Cruise lines have recently come under a great deal of pressure from governments to clean up their act and make cruising a more sustainable and environmentally friendly activity. Cruise ships have long been known to be one of the more unclean modes of transport, which is an image many cruise lines are keen to move away from. 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. Below are details of three great innovations in making cruise ships more eco-friendly.

Enhanced Efficiency. Not only are ships now being made from more sustainable materials and but they are also being designed and constructed to more efficient specifications. 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 Engines. 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 Sharing. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is cargo sharing. When a cruise ship has spare room onboard, they effectively rent it out to companies wishing to transport cargo to the destination on the ships path. The cruise company wins as they get money they would otherwise not have got, the cargo company does not have to charter its own boat, and energy is saved that reduces carbon emissions.