First hybrid sails Northwest Passage
MS Roald Amundsen on her way through the Northwest passage.
Last September, Hurtigruten’s expedition cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen became the first battery-hybrid powered ship to sail over 3,000 nautical miles through the Northwest Passage.
The MS Roald Amundsen, under the command of Captain Kai Albrigtsen, arrived in Nome the evening of September 10. “We have experienced gale winds, snow and ice. We have also witnessed spectacular sunsets, and striking scenery and wildlife. However, what has had the biggest impact on us, is how warmly we’ve been welcomed by the local communities along the route, just as Roald Amundsen himself was. Their unparalleled hospitality is what has made this a genuinely inspirational voyage,” says Albrigtsen.
Norwegian polar pioneer Roald Amundsen made the first complete passage from 1903 to 1906.
Hurtigruten is investing in an eco-friendly refit program for three of its existing vessels – the 2002-built Finnmarken, 2002-built Trollfjord and 2003-built Midnatsol. All three will be repowered with new Tier 3-compliant engines, along with battery packs and hybrid drive systems. This will make them the second, third and fourth hybrid cruise ships in the world (after the MS Roald Amundsen). They will also receive new shore power connection systems. The Finnmarken will be the first to receive the upgrade in 2020, followed by Trollfjord and Midnatsol in 2021.
MS Roald Amundsen sails eight Alaska voyages this season.
Source: Maritime Executive
Air
Ships sailing within emission control areas (ECAs) – including all that visit Alaska – must either use fuel limited to 0.10% sulfur or technology to achieve equivalent sulfur emission goals. Many of cruise operators have aggressively pursued the installation of stack emission control system technology or converting to cleaner-burning emission LNG.
About a third of the existing fleet now have the new scrubbers, according to Bud Darr, former senior vice president at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). That number includes most ships that call on Alaska.
Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, is installing the systems on more than 70 vessels. Royal Caribbean has completed an agreement with North American authorities for 19 ships they will equip with scrubber systems. Others, including Princess and Holland America Line, also have scrubber installations projects underway and nearing completion. Retrofits can be extremely complex and cumbersome, especially with the largest types of scrubbers.
Click here to watch a short video on these scrubbers in Alaska.
Alaska was also the first cruise destination to partner with cruise lines to allow ships to plug into local shoreside power while docked in communities with sufficient infrastructure. In Juneau, shore power is available at one dock, allowing the vessel moored there to reduce emissions by plugging into the city’s hydroelectric power. This practice, which results in a significant reduction in fuel emissions, has been adopted by cruise ports around the world.
Alaska cruise vessels use onboard opacity-monitoring technology to observe air emissions. Data collected is useful in allowing environmental engineers to continue to improve their air systems.