With fuel prices elevated by the conflict in the Middle East, Lindblad Expeditions has a  renewed effort to reduce consumption across its expedition fleet, intensifying hull cleaning and propeller polishing schedules and engaging ship leaders directly in reviews of how energy is used aboard each vessel.

CEO Natalya Leahy told analysts on the company’s first quarter 2026 earnings call that the initiatives span both maintenance protocols and operational behavior.

“We have doubled down on initiatives to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining an exceptional guest experience,” she said.

“We have also enhanced ship maintenance protocols, including more frequent propeller polishing and hull cleaning, which will support improved fuel efficiency over time.”

Beyond physical maintenance, Leahy said the company has pulled its ship leaders into detailed operational reviews aimed at finding consumption efficiencies at the vessel level.

“We have launched a number of very detailed reviews, including involving our ship leaders on understanding how we can optimize (fuel) consumption and our live consumption of energy within the ship environment, optimize our speed, maintenance protocols, et cetera,” she said.