GabyThe cruise company Hurtigruten Norway has announced plans to create an electric cruise ship with zero emissions and 50-meter sails covered in solar panels. The vessel will harness energy from both the sun and the wind. The presentation of the Sea Zero concept is scheduled for 2030.
Currently, the company’s fleet consists of eight vessels. Each of them accommodates 500 passengers and operates along the Norwegian coast from Oslo to the Arctic Circle. Although it is a relatively small company, its CEO Hedda Felin hopes this innovative idea will inspire the global cruise industry.
The Sea Zero project was announced in March 2022. Since then, Hurtigruten Norway, along with 12 maritime partners and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF, has been exploring technological solutions for emission-free sea travel.
Hybrid energy
The new vessel will primarily operate on 60-megawatt batteries. They can be charged in ports using clean energy. This is not a problem for Norway, as renewable energy sources account for 98 percent of the country’s energy system.
Jerry Larsson-Fedde, Senior Vice President of Marine Operations at Hurtigruten Norway, says the batteries will give the ship a range of 300 to 350 nautical miles. That means during an 11-day round trip the liner will charge approximately seven or eight times.
To reduce dependence on batteries, three tall sails will be raised above the deck in windy weather. Larsson-Fedde says they will be adjusted independently of each other and reduced in size when necessary, for example to pass under bridges. The sails will also change their tilt to catch the strongest wind.
The sails will be fitted with 1,500 square meters of solar panels. They will generate energy to charge the batteries while sailing. The battery charge level will be displayed on board the ship.
The streamlined shape of the vessel will reduce air resistance and help lower energy consumption.
“In Norway, it can sometimes be dark during winter days, except in the south, where the sun shines. And in summer, it shines 24 hours a day. So we will be supercharged also thanks to the midnight sun,” noted Jerry Larsson-Fedde.
An interesting innovation for passengers
The ship, which will accommodate 500 guests and 99 crew members, will have 270 cabins.
Travelers will be encouraged to minimize their personal impact on climate change through an interactive mobile app. The app will track individual water and energy consumption.
Larsson-Fedde says passengers need to understand “how much energy they are consuming by spending 10 more minutes in the shower or using the air conditioner at full power.”
Why was there a need for these vessels?
Over the next two years, Hurtigruten Norway will test the Sea Zero technological equipment before fully completing the ship’s design in 2026. The company plans to begin construction at a shipyard in 2027. The first ship is expected to enter Norwegian waters in 2030.
Hurtigruten Norway has long promoted eco-friendly shipping. In 2019, the company launched the world’s first hybrid cruise ship powered by batteries. It is converting the rest of its fleet to hybrid battery power to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), shipping accounts for about three percent of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, the organization set a goal to reduce emissions in the sector by at least half by 2050.
