Starting next July, the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises luxury and expedition fleet will use marine gas oil with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1 percent (LS-MGO) exclusively.

By transitioning to the low-pollutant fuel voluntarily, the sulfur emissions of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet will be cut by 80 percent, according to a statement, as the company has vowed not to use HFO (heavy fuel oil).

Additionally, the switch to marine gas oil means a reduction in soot and particulates of up to 30 percent.

“With our years of expertise in the luxury and expedition segment, we set the highest standards in the industry with our ships and are committed to adhering to strict environmental protection standards,” said Karl J. Pojer, CEO

“Already we have made significant progress in this context and never stop working to improve even further. These efforts have taken us far beyond the minimum statutory requirements. The decision not to use heavy fuel oil is a significant step towards operating environmentally-conscious cruises and an important investment in our future.”

In 1993, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises stopped using heavy fuel oil in the Arctic on its own and only uses marine gas oil with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1 percent.

Additionally, all the new ships of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, including the Europa 2 and the new expedition class are compatible with cold ironing and have been fitted with modern SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalytic converters.

These converters clean exhaust gases and lower nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 95 percent, the company said.