With a goal of becoming emission free, Hurtigruten has started testing biodiesel to power the 12,000-ton Polarlys.

The Norway-based cruise line said the fuel could reduce CO2 emissions by 95 percent over traditional marine fuels.

Biodiesel, unlike traditional fuels, can be made from different sources, such as wasted cooking oil, corn, soya, wheat, tallow or palm. In a news release, Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said the biodiesel is also free of forest-depleting palm oil. “The industry needs to start making more sustainable choices and Hurtigruten wants to lead the way,” Skjeldam said.

The Polarlys has been testing the use of biodiesel for a week and will also be testing in the weeks to come.

The shipping industry uses more than 330 megatons of fuels every year and is the cause of as much as 3 percent of all global CO2 emissions, the release said. 

Hurtigruten said the move to biodiesel is in its infancy and will soon grow to transform the shipping industry. The boutique cruise line has pushed to ban Heavy Fuel Oil, a propulsion fuel Hurtigruten stopped using a decade ago.

“Hurtigruten wants an international ban of use of cheap, polluting Heavy Fuel Oil the whole Arctic area and along the Norwegian Coast. It makes no sense to create more pollution and increase the risk of spills and destruction in areas that need to be protected,” Skjeldam said.