Classification Society DNV GL certified Europa 2 cruise vessel for its connection, marking the first time that a cruise ship has used a cold ironing connection for an extended period of time.
A growing concern remains the potential environmental impact as the cruise ships sit idle for extended periods of time in the world’s ports.
Therefore, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises announced that its cruise ship the Europa 2 would be cold ironing when the vessel returned to Hamburg, Germany in early May. Recently, the classification society DNV GL certified the cruise ship’s connection.
The Hapag Lloyd cruises reported that Europa 2 has been successfully using cold ironing at the Cruise Center Altona in Hamburg for the past 30 days and was able to save a total of 600 tons of carbon dioxide. To achieve this required the Hamburg Port Authority to adjust the connection as the Europa 2 requires a lower voltage than the other cruise ships that are employing cold ironing in the port.
By using the cold iron connection, the ship’s emissions were reduced to practically zero.
Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises commented that
We are glad that we have been able to make such valuable use of this forced break by driving forward cold ironing and the certification of the Europa 2. The fact that a cruise ship has used cold ironing over a long period of time in Hamburg is an important and unprecedented experience.
