Norwegian cruise ships operator, Hurtigruten, decided to retrofit its ships to make them more eco-friendly, and plans to use a byproduct from dead fish and other organic waste in order to power their engines.
According to Reuters, Hurtigruten will retrofit six of its older vessels to run on a combination of LNG, electric batteries and liquefied bio gas (LBG). LBG is a fossil-free, renewable gas produced from dead fish and other organic waste, while it is considered one of the most eco-friendly fuels available.
LBG is already used is small parts of the transport sector, especially in buses, but Hurtigruten will be the first to use it as a fuel for cruise ships.
Two of the electric battery-powered ships, which are expected to cost more than 150 million euros each, are being constructed, while the company has a letter of intent for a third one.
These attempts aim to make Hurtigruten carbon neutral by 2050. The company also expects to invest more than $850million with the ultimate goal to operate its ships completely emission free.
The shipping sector is facing stricter international regulations, including cuts in CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008, and the IMO sulphur cap that will implement a ban on fuels with sulphur content of more than 0.5% from 2020.