Electric ship with 50-metre sails aims to be the future of cruising

It’s no secret that the cruise industry is one of the more challenging when it comes to aligning with the idea of eco-friendly travel. It’s been reported by the International Council on Clean Transportation (a nonprofit US-based organisation) that cruise lines are more carbon polluting than planes, with the average cruise ship said to emit 250 grams of CO2 per passenger per kilometre travelled, more than a short-haul flight.

In 2023, British consumer group Which? published a report that analysed the EU’s 2023 Monitoring, Reporting and Verification carbon emissions data and stated: “The carbon footprint of a two-week Caribbean cruise, including return flights to Barbados, is more than double that of a two-week holiday in Barbados full board.”

Hurtigruten is embarking on a journey to build its first ship with zero-emission propulsion by 2030.Credit: Vard and Hurtigruten/Sea Zero Project

But Hurtigruten’s new ship, which the operator says will set sail by 2030, will feature technology it is calling “zero-emission propulsion”, in the form of battery- and wind-powered technology. It is, as Hurtigruten says on its website, the line’s most ambitious project in its 130-year history.

In the battle for sustainability credentials, cruise lines have mainly focused on recycling waste, reducing or removing single-use plastics, cutting food mileage, and onshore and onboard technologies such as LED lighting, heat recovery systems and the ability to plug into shoreside power while in port. The quest for alternate fuels such as Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is also at the forefront for many lines, though environmental campaigners point out that fossil fuels such as LNG still harm the environment as they emit methane into the atmosphere. The use of environmentally friendlier biofuels has been trialled by cruise line MSC, but these are prohibitively expensive alternatives and as such not in general use yet.

Hurtigruten aims to achieve “Sea Zero” through a partnership with SINTEF.Credit: Vard and Hurtigruten/Sea Zero Project

Hurtigruten’s goal to reach “Sea Zero” by 2030 involves a partnership with Norway-based science institute SINTEF to “explore exciting, state-of-the-art solutions in energy efficiency and battery electric power”.

These include the use of a 60-megawatt-hour battery (charged by electric power banks while in port) combined with wind-powered technology in the form of a trio of retractable sail-like structures that will pull in air currents, increasing the aerodynamics of the ship and converting the wind’s power into energy to help power the ship. At full height, the sails will reach 164 feet (50 metres) in height and be covered in solar panels to help power the ship’s onboard electricity. Preliminary estimates indicate these sails could reduce energy consumption by 10 per cent over time. Additionally, the solar panels will contribute another 2 to 3 per cent in energy savings.

The sails can reach 164ft and will be covered in solar panels to help to power the ship’s onboard electricity.Credit: Vard and Hurtigruten/Sea Zero Project

During summer sailings in Norway, where the sun shines 24 hours a day, these autonomous wing-like features will provide much of the vessel’s power. Hurtigruten has estimated that, if built, the ship will use 40-50 per cent less energy than traditional cruise ships, as it will operate primarily on battery power.

Air bubble “carpets”, technology designed to reduce underwater drag by emitting a powerful stream of water from the keel of the ship, effectively allowing it to glide through the water, have been in use by P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises since 2021, and Hurtigruten suggests it will develop this technology further.

Fuel will not be totally redundant in the new ships, though, as it will be required as a backup for safety. Hurtigruten chief operating officer Gerry Larsson-Fedde calls the concept a “hybrid, zero-emissions ship”.

If Hurtigruten’s plans become a reality, the ship will be 443-feet long, with 270 cabins (a 500-passenger capacity), and will travel along the Norwegian coastline. It will be equipped with “smart cabins” to allow guests to control their individual energy consumption via an app.

“We are in the process of testing models now to see if our calculations are correct [for these designs]. To reduce energy [usage] you have to reduce fuel consumption. For Hurtigruten, that is slightly easier as our cruises in places like Norway take in many more ports than some of the larger ocean-going vessels. We have more ports to stop at to recharge the batteries.”

Hurtigruten’s new ship will use battery- and wind-powered technology.Credit: Vard and Hurtigruten/Sea Zero Project

To that point, it is not just a case of creating the technology and setting sail. The port infrastructure needs to support the cause too. Hurtigruten is working closely with Norkse Havner, the Norwegian Ports organisation, on development and expansion of shore power facilities.

Hurtigruten is not the only line to be working on such technology. French-owned Ponant has announced it is developing plans for a similar hybrid model that will feature sail- and battery-operated ships, also slated to launch in 2030. The line has two ship designs under consideration, one of which features sails with solar panels that the line says will provide an average of 50 per cent of the propulsion energy using the force of the wind. It will also feature a bespoke energy management system to control and distribute power without any generators being in service, among other things.

Herve Gastinel, Ponant’s chief executive, said: “This is much more than a new ship. We want to offer a new mode of navigation and actively contribute to decarbonisation of the maritime sector. Our inhouse R&D team has brought together the best specialists in shipbuilding and renewable energy to imagine and develop an energy model that aims at zero emissions.”

For now, both Hurtigruten’s and Ponant’s green-gazing ships are still in planning stages, and Hurtigruten’s Larsson-Fedde suggested this phase will continue for another six to eight months.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reports that the cruise industry wants to reach net zero by 2050, and that entirely reducing the need for fuels is one of the most effective ways to cut a ship’s carbon footprint. Is this achievable? Larsson-Fedde thinks it is.

“The technology is there already. If [cruise lines] can compete to be more sustainable, then that’s great. For cruise companies, being sustainable will be a licence to operate in the future. Anything is achievable if everyone puts in the effort.”

The Telegraph, London