The ships of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, the luxury and expedition cruise ship operator that is part of TUI AG, will use marine gas oil with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 % (LS-MGO) exclusively.
The figure is well below the maximum permitted under the new IMO rules that will take effect from the beginning of next year.
“From January 2020, the IMO will ban ships from using fuels with a sulfur content above 0.5%, compared with 3.5% now. “Only ships fitted with sulfur-cleaning devices known as scrubbers will be allowed to continue burning high-sulfur fuel,” the IMO said on its website.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will cut the emissions of its fleet of both luxury and expedition ships significantly. “By transitioning to the low-pollutant fuel voluntarily, the sulphur emissions of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet will be cut by 80 %. Additionally, the switch to marine gas oil means a reduction in soot and particulates of up to 30 %,” the company said in a statement.
Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: “With our years of expertise in the luxury and expedition segment, we set the highest standards in the industry with our ships and are committed to adhering to strict environmental protection standards. Already we have made significant progress in this context and never stop working to improve even further. These efforts have taken us far beyond the minimum statutory requirements. The decision not to use heavy fuel oil is a significant step towards operating environmentally-conscious cruises and an important investment in our future.”
In 1993 Hapag-Lloyd Cruises stopped using heavy fuel oil in the Arctic of its own volition and only uses marine gas oil with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 %. At the start of the year, the company announced its decision to transition gradually and stop using heavy fuel oil in its expedition fleet in future. This important development now continues.
Additionally, all new ships of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises – including the EUROPA 2 and the new expedition class – are compatible with cold ironing and have been fitted with modern SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalytic converters. These converters clean exhaust gases and lower nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 95 %.
The global routes will be planned and carried out with an average speed that is environmentally-friendly, cutting fuel consumption by over one third. The Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet is also equipped with seawater desalination technology to produce clean water, as well as with biological sewage treatment plants. The bow thrusters and stabilisers run on environmentally-friendly bio-petroleum.
“I believe that travel is immensely valuable and an important means of developing an understanding of the world. Cruising with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises means understanding nature better, coming face-to-face with it and even feeling a sense of humility before it,” added Pojer.
