New Zero-Emission Cruise Ship Design by Hurtigruten Leading the Way in Sustainable Sea Travel

Traditional cruise ships not only emit CO2, but also sulfur dioxide, nitrogen and particulate matter. “Per day, such a cruise ship emits as much particulate matter as a million cars,” Daniel Rieger of the German environmental association NABU previously claimed.

But Hurtigruten argues against the assumption that cruises are always highly polluting. The shipping company has always been a leader in the field of sustainable sea travel and shows that things can also be done differently with a daring and environmentally friendly design.

The images show a state-of-the-art boat 135 meters long with 270 cabins for 500 guests and 99 crew members. It is a zero-emission ship that has batteries of 60 megawatts. During stopovers in ports, the batteries can be charged with renewable energy. In addition, the cruise ship can also rely on huge extendable sails of 50 meters high that are completely covered with solar panels. This allows the batteries to be charged while sailing. The range would be 300 to 350 nautical miles, which is about 550 to 650 kilometers.

In any case, modern technology plays a major role on board. For example, the captain can rely on artificial intelligence to steer the boat. The shipping company, which offers cruises from Norway’s fjords to the Arctic Circle, says AI “will also collect data to facilitate docking”, mimicking the operation of an aircraft’s cockpit.

Hurtigruten aspires to have a completely zero-emission fleet in the long term as part of its environmentally friendly ‘Sea Zero’ project. In 2030, the first passengers can look forward to a cruise with this climate-friendly ship.