On day two of Passenger Ship Sustainability in Southampton, topics touched on shipbuilding and innovative energy savings solutions.

Roy Millet, project coordinator for Peace Boat, said the group has secured 90 percent of the required financing to construct their new ship, which he confirmed will sail alongside the Ocean Dream.

The project aims to reduce CO2 emissions by some 40 percent, he said.

The Peace Boat concept will be powered by LNG, bio-fuels and MGO. Ten sail masts will help propulsion as will wind turbines. There will also be a massive solar panel installation according to Millet.

The vessel will be constructed by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, which has never built a cruise ship before.

Laurent Rouxel-Duval, research and development manager at STX France, talked about the yard’s holistic approach to improving the sustainability of cruise ships. 

For the Harmony of the Seas, the yard had some 89 energy efficiency initiatives, leading to a 20 percent improvement in energy use per passenger compared to the previous sister ship.

On the subject of alternative fuels, methanol is being seen more as a player in the future fuel market, according to Dirk Schroeder, a project manager at Lloyd’s Register.