Green cruising: Norway's World Heritage fjords are becoming emission-free

Norway has the world's second longest coastline, and the fjords are the country's biggest tourist attraction. From 2026, however, greenhouse gas-emitting vessels will be prohibited from sailing into the spectacular World Heritage fjords. This opens up major opportunities for sustainable cruising and new solutions.

Norwegian cruise traffic has experienced tremendous growth, contributing heavily to value creation in Norway’s ocean industries as a whole. 2022 is expected to be another record year for cruise traffic in Norway, with over 4 million passengers.

At the same time, the cruise industry has a huge environmental footprint. According to Western Norway Research Institute, cruise ships in Norway consume about 170 million litres of fuel a year – accounting for nearly 3 per cent of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the fuel is burned at sea, but around 20 per cent – or nearly 34 million litres – is burned while the ships are in port.

Maritime decarbonisation

There are few places where this is more apparent than in the Geirangerfjord. The fjord – a UNESCO World Heritage site – receives around 800 000 visitors a year. Two of five visitors are cruise tourists, with tourism generating roughly USD 22 million annually. Growth is expected to continue unabated, despite the fact that the Norwegian Maritime Authority warns that air quality will be downright hazardous at times in the narrow fjord.

To tackle these environmental challenges, the Storting (Norwegian parliament) has introduced new requirements stipulating that all cruise ships and ferries in World Heritage fjords must be emission-free starting in 2026. The Government is also seeking to cut emissions from domestic shipping and fisheries in half by 2030.

Meeting these requirements will require tremendous innovation in green maritime technology. Fortunately, Norway is a world leader in this area. Below are some of the novel, eco-friendly solutions being developed by Norwegian companies.

The green ships of the future

For ships – like cars – making the transition from fossil fuels to electricity will bring significant environmental benefits. Most of the world’s shipping fleet is powered by heavy oil. While this type of fuel is cost-effective, it emits relatively large amounts of NO_x and SO_x. But is it possible to generate enough electricity to power a ship weighing up to several hundred thousand metric tons?

It is – at least for a day. Ulstein has developed a comprehensive power solution allowing large cruise ships to run emission-free for a full day. The ULSTEIN ZED™ solutions includes powerful batteries, energy recovery, specialised heating and ventilation, solar panels, hot water storage and a modern automation system with cloud service possibilities. All of the technology is currently commercially viable and available, and some of the components can also be retrofitted onto existing vessels.

It is not entirely unthinkable that large ships can also become fully electric. In April 2022, the world’s first autonomous, zero-emission container ship was launched in Norway. The vessel, Yara Birkeland, was built by the Norwegian shipyard Vard Brattvåg for the Norwegian fertiliser company Yara, and will be a game-changer for global maritime transport.

“With Yara Birkeland, we are moving transport from road to sea and thereby reducing noise and dust, improving the safety of local roads, and reducing NO_x and CO₂ emissions,” says Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara.

Powerful hydrogen

Hydrogen is a promising alternative fuel, both for land-based and sea transport. It offers tremendous environmental benefits compared with fossil fuels, as hydrogen-based fuel cells are renewable and emit only heat and water vapour.

HYON develops tailormade hydrogen solutions for shipping that enable shipowners to store and transport their own hydrogen. HYON’s technology consists of powerful, lightweight, compact fuel cells that can be integrated into the systems on existing vessels. The company’s solutions are also potentially very attractive for cruise ships.

In 2019 Hurtigruten Expeditions introduced the world’s first battery-hybrid cruise ship, MS Roald Amundsen. It has since been joined by two new environment-friendly hybrid cruise ships, MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Otto Sverdrup, all of whom are named after renowned Norwegian explorers.

The vessels’ powerful battery packs reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by more than 20 per cent, and allow them to operate entirely emission free during short periods of time. Hurtigruten has also set aside space to expand battery capacity and add new technology. Moreover, the cruise ships do not use single-use plastic and prioritise improved waste management and recycling.

Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen sail on expedition cruises in harsh weather conditions to destinations such as Alaska, Antarctica, South America, Greenland and Svalbard.

Low-carbon coastal cruise ships

Havila Voyages also operates hybrid cruise ships, but with a different type of green and innovative technology. Their coastal cruise liners, Havila Capella and Havila Castor, will run on LNG and battery power.

LNG stands for liquefied natural gas. The cleanest of the fossil fuels, it is considered an important “bridging fuel” in the transition to low-carbon energy. With the use of LNG and efficient operation, Havila’s cruise ships release 40 per cent less CO₂, while battery packs enable the vessels to sail emission free for four hours.

In its effort to ultimately become emission-free, Havila has also developed a platform for commercialising and tracking low and zero-emission technologies. In this way the company can document the real, overall impact of its combined low and zero-emission technologies using a multidisciplinary approach and advanced simulation models.

At the opposite end of the scale, smaller tourist ships can give cruise passengers a different kind of experience. Brim Explorer’s ground-breaking hybrid-electric catamarans can hold up to 140 passengers and offer silent, emission-free tours in North Norway, Svalbard and Oslo.

Developed in collaboration with the environmental organisation Bellona, the boats generally use only their electric engine during the tour and can charge overnight in most ports.

Fitted with underwater microphones, cameras and drones, Brim Explorer takes tourists close to Arctic nature and wildlife above and below the sea – with minimal impact.