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'Innovators' profiles the people driving the future of travel—those who lead rather than follow, who break things, take risks, and solve problems in fresh ways.
The cruise industry, while only a fraction of the greater travel industry at large, takes a lot of flak when it comes to issues of environmental impact. In recent years, nearly every cruise line has beefed up its sustainability efforts, whether by tracking waste on board or investing in engine designs that reduce use of fuel. Yet perhaps no cruise company has been more vocal in its efforts than Norway-based Hurtigruten cruise line, which started operating in 1893. Its fleet includes 14 ships that make expeditions to areas like Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and Norway, focusing on experiences tailored to local wildlife and preservation.
It was the first line to ban single-use plastics, in 2018, and lately has made efficient sources of fuel a major focus. Earlier this year, Hurtigruten launched the Roald Amundsen, its newest ship and the first hybrid-powered ship in the world, running on a mix of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and batteries (incidentally, journeys on the Roald Amundsen are costlier, but it is the fleet's most premium expedition ship—and its most sustainable). Now the company is refurbishing its entire fleet so that the ships run on a combination of battery, biogas, and a form of LNG produced from dead fish and other organic waste—a major departure from the rest of the industry, which primarily uses heavy oil. The ultimate goal is to run a fleet that’s completely emissions-free.
We sat down with Anne Marit Bjørnflaten, senior vice president of sustainability and public affairs for Hurtigruten cruises, to ask about how the company sets its sustainability goals—and what’s next.
What is the most pressing environmental issue the cruise industry is facing right now, and how should it address it?
I think the two most crucial areas are: one, overcrowding, or overtourism. I think that the cruise industry needs to find better ways to prevent over-tourism than what it has done up to now. We believe that we are guests, we are visiting these communities as guests, and it is important to leave them as we found them and to support local employment.
The second area is that the cruise industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, and I think that it’s important for the industry to address that it needs to take action. We have not been using heavy fuel [or crude oil-based fuel] for more than a decade due to the impact it has on wildlife; most of our competitors use it, though, and that is the easiest way to make the cruise industry more efficient.
You just launched the Roald Amundsen, the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship. How did you decide to use a ship powered in part by batteries?
When designing and developing the new hybrid ships MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen [another new ship that will launch in March 2020], it was important for us to choose the most sustainable option [from materials to fuel] for ships operating in the areas we do. The hybrid technology used on these ships makes sure we at all times can minimize emissions, but at the same time not risk running out of power in remote areas. The batteries’ main mission is to support the low-emission engines through so-called “peak shaving.” [Editor's note: According to a spokesperson, this means that the batteries allow for the ship to run at peak strength without using more fuel; and when it isn’t running at peak strength, it can run on batteries for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, or use clean fuel to allow the batteries to charge.] The ships can also run silently on battery power for a short while if necessary.
We are also experimenting with alternative fuels to find sustainable options, but unfortunately, these solutions are still very limited and the demand is not high enough to run expedition ships sailing in remote areas on these options—yet. Our ultimate goal is to operate our ships completely emission-free.
How effective is this hybrid-powered model?
With the battery hybrid on Roald Amundsen we are cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20 percent, compared to other cruise ships the same size. We are cutting emissions even more on the ships that will have LNG and biogas, reducing CO2 by more than 35 percent compared to other same-size ships. We are also reducing our nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 90 percent on the Roald Amundsen, and new ships with LNG and biogas. But the most important part is the CO2—the industry mostly is focusing on that.
We have been focusing on sustainability for a long time and we believe that we have a huge responsibility to do so, because of the areas we operate in.
You said that one of the most pressing issues facing the cruise industry right now is overtourism. Could you tell us more about why?
Operations where quantity wins over quality result in poor guest experiences in the short run—and damaged sites and destinations in the longer run. Exploration travel is not about volume, it’s about unique experiences for active guests. We need to stop measuring success in more tourists, more ships, or more hotel beds. We need to instead measure it in the quality of the guests and the footprints they leave behind.
Hurtigruten has called for a stop to mass tourism in pristine areas [primarily the Norwegian Fjords, Antarctica, and some of the Arctic regions]. We work for stricter regulations, such as size limitations on cruise ships and restricting the number of guests allowed on shore. Our goal is to develop, encourage, and maintain sustainable all-year activity, instead of flooding the valuable sites during peak season and leaving them quiet for the rest of the year. There is room to grow, but the growth has to be balanced.
How do you identify what you’ll do next?
We’ve been operating 126 years in vulnerable waters, seeing the icebergs melt before our eyes, we have been sailing to Antarctica for many years, and this gives our crew and guests—and the whole company—very good standing on the challenges we’re facing. One of the most exciting and inspiring things about working here is that we have a crew, an expedition staff, that has a lot of competence about sustainability; they’re passionate and engaged in contributing to a more sustainable operation.
We have a lot of projects going on, but we’ve started rebuilding the fleet to operate on LNG, biogas, and batteries. We always look into new kinds of technology and innovations, and we are partnering with Brim Explorer, which has built the first electric catamaran—it doesn’t make noise or disturb the water. We will use it for excursions on the Norwegian coast.