AmaWaterways announced plans to continue exploring new ways to enhance the sustainability of river cruising and minimize fuel consumption, according to a press release.
‘’Sustainability is the top and ever-present responsibility of every company in the travel industry,’’ said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways.
‘’Each of our ships and every itinerary we operate is thoughtfully designed to minimize fuel consumption but the impact we have on the local communities is also of utmost importance to us,” he said.
“We are currently building our two newest ships in Colombia and are proud to be working hand in hand with local architects, designers and suppliers to ensure we are not only properly incorporating and honoring this beautiful destination’s natural resources and culture but also enhancing the lives of the local residents along the Magdalena River as many of these communities will be opening up to international visitors for the first time.”
In 2019, the company’s AmaKristina became the first river cruise ship in the industry to receive the Green Award which recognizes ships in Europe for their safety, quality and environmental impact. Since then, 19 other ships from AmaWaterways fleet have received the same recognition.
In 2023, the AmaMagna will include solar panels on the awnings of select staterooms aimed to reduce fuel consumption as a result of heating and cooling.
Additionally, the company is also testing the new River Track Pilot navigation system with the aim to optimize fuel use.
AmaWaterways has also replaced breakfast and lunch buffets with full-service a la carte menus in order to reduce food waste by up to 30 percent. On the other hand, the Zambezi Queen and AmaMagna have plenty of eco-friendly features.
The Zambezi Queen uses a five-stage water purification plant while the AmaMagna operates on a 10-engine diesel/electronic hybrid system, a first for the river cruise industry, which reduces fuel usage and noise levels.
“From the design of our ships to the green measures we’ve taken on board and shoreside, AmaWaterways continues to explore new ways to enhance our efforts in sustainable tourism. It has always been essential to us to protect the waterways we sail upon and enhance the communities we visit through collaboration on developing tourism projects like our weekly Oktoberfest in Vilshofen, Germany or our exclusive wine event in Spitz, Austria,’’ said Kristin Karst, co-founder and executive vice-president of AmaWaterways. “We are proud of our Green Awards and we will keep building each new ship and itinerary with sustainability and community enrichment in mind.”
