Climate killer cruise ship: Some shipping companies are working on environmentally friendly technology for the future. “Shore power” and methanol propulsion are some of them.
Bremen – Cruise ships are bad for the environment. This opinion is not particularly controversial. The wastewater flows into the sea and the fuel and electricity consumption is sometimes astronomical. Some cruise lines now want to respond to this situation.
Among them is the holiday company Tui Cruises, which is sending the “Mein Schiff 7” out to sea in early summer. As Tui managing director Wybcke Meier confirmed, the new ship will not have normal fuel in its tank, but low-emission marine diesel. A pop star also recently appeared on a “Mein Schiff”.
Tui ships will run on green methanol in the future
And that's not all. Tui wants to use methanol as fuel in the future. In the future, the ship will run on green methanol, as Tui writes on its website. This decision is “an important investment in the future and an important contribution to climate-neutral cruising.”
Waste processing should also become more innovative. Organic waste should be broken down through thermal treatment and processed for further use on land. “The liquid parts of the waste are separated using heat and pressure and sent to the ship’s own wastewater treatment system,” says Tui. What comes out would be at the level of “state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants.”
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel alternative for cruise ships
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also an alternative that competitors are already using. The “Aida Nova” and the “Aida Cosma” are already running on LNG, and Tui wants to follow suit with another new cruise ship (Mein Schiff Relax) in the winter of 2024/25. This is also said to have improved catalysts for reducing nitrogen oxides.
The exorbitant power consumption should also be addressed. When ships are in port, they continue to run on the electricity generated by the engines, which is not only loud but also inefficient. New buildings should use “shore power”, i.e. electricity from the port. The ship is in port for at least 40 percent of its operating time and Tui “insists” that the electricity offered is green.
Cruise: “Shore power” for “almost emission-free ship operations”
This ensures “almost emission-free ship operations”. Tui is retrofitting in this regard; five ships are already using shore power. MSC Cruises also wants to supply its ships with shore power by the end of 2024. Of course, the ports also have to be equipped for this exchange. This will be mandatory in the EU from 2030. A man recently shocked the other passengers when an Aida ship entered the port.
Cruise companies are in the midst of getting rid of the polluter image. The World Shipping Association ICS even wants the entire industry worldwide to be completely climate-neutral by 2050. The Hurtigurten shipping company is also writing positive headlines in this regard, as it owns the first hybrid ship, the MS Amundsen.
Environmental association sues Tui Cruises for “empty climate promises”
Of course, not everyone sees the future of cruise ships as rosily as the shipping companies. The German Environmental Aid (DUH), for example, is suing Tui Cruises. Tui advertised with the slogan “2050 decarbonized cruise operations (Net zero)”. Managing director Jürgen Resch from the DUH says: “Companies can no longer only benefit from empty climate promises, even though they have not planned any concrete measures.”
The association will “take greater action against such misleading future promises made by entire companies.” Agnes Sauter, DUH head of ecological market surveillance, also promises: “As a consumer protection organization, we will continue to campaign against non-transparent and untrue advertising claims at the expense of the climate.”
(cgsc)