The world’s first zero-emission cruise ship
For many people today, a cruise is considered a climate sin. The Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten therefore wants to build the world’s first emission-free cruise ship. The sails are to be covered with solar cells.
Sustainability plays a crucial role in the mobility of tomorrow. After all, in times of advancing climate change, it is important to reduce emissions as quickly as possible. But even if the number of electric cars increases, the energy transition is still faltering in some other sectors.
One of them is the cruise industry, whose travel offers are considered by many to be an environmental sin par excellence. But that could change soon – at least if it’s after the Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten.
Hurtigruten wants to build zero-emission cruise ship
The company gained international fame mainly because it wants to build the first climate-neutral cruise ship by 2030 at the latest. The shipping company’s development teams only have a few years left for this to work. Because the production of such a ship would have to start by 2027 at the latest.
Hurtigruten recently presented the first details for the new cruise ship. It has three sails, which are intended to ensure not only progress but also a continuous supply of solar energy. In total, the sails provide an area of around 1,500 square meters for solar cells.
Cruise ship is designed entirely for energy efficiency
By using solar and wind energy, the ship continuously charges its own batteries. A special design and a dirt-repellent layer ensure particularly high efficiency in operation. An artificial intelligence tailored to the ship is responsible for the optimal and most energy-efficient course at all times.
But an emission-free cruise in 2030 is not yet certain. Because the battery technology that Hurtigruten needs does not yet exist and must first be researched. That is why the shipping company will be working closely with partners from industry in the coming years. If you manage to take this step, theoretically nothing stands in the way of a climate-neutral trip.
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