Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is aligning itself with the industry’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target with more efficient technologies aboard its new ships and retrofits of existing ships, reducing fuel and energy consumption through such examples as LED lighting and hull coatings, according to James Mitchell, vice president of marine HSEM, safety, environment and medical.
In its latest Stewardship Report (2018), NCLH stated that it has achieved a 4 percent increase in propulsion efficiency from hull coatings and an 11.3 percent reduction in boiler fuel consumption since 2016.
“We are also looking at future technologies and alternative fuels,” Mitchell said. “LNG may be a step in the right direction. We have certainly not taken it off the table, but are holding back temporarily, while we wait to see what the logistics will be for passenger vessels. For now, it is not something we can readily bunker around the world like HFO and MGO.”
“Looking at our carbon footprint,” Mitchell continued, “we are taking a multifaceted approach from our own operations at sea to our headquarters here in Miami and eventually plan to go as far as looking at the travel of our guests, crew and shoreside employees, as well procurement logistics, which are already in the works.”
At press time, NCLH had 11 ships outfitted with scrubbers and six ships for shorepower.
“Fuel consumption is a cornerstone of our itinerary planning as is the culture of our guests and crew, creating awareness and knowledge of our environmental initiatives, like shutting the balcony door or turning off the TV or lights, when they are not in the cabin, just like what they would do at home,” he added.
Another big accomplishment at NLCH is water production. Mitchell explained that through a combination of onboard initiatives and technologies, their ships have improved the water production efficiencies from reverse osmosis and evaporators, while also decreasing consumption and environmental impact.
According to the stewardship report, NCLH has reduced the onboard water consumption by 4 percent from 2015 to 2018 for guests and crew as well as in the galleys, laundries, pools, whirlpools, spas and for cleaning. The onboard average daily consumption per person is 69 gallons compared to a national average of 80 to 100 gallons.
Looking forward, Mitchell said: “It is never going to be one solution. It is never about a single approach. Even LNG is not going to be the single silver bullet. We are expecting new technologies to emerge over the next decade leading to more efficient vessels at sea.”
Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Fall 2019
