Just one newly built cruise ship uses LNG, German environment association NABU noted, adding that the remaining checked ships coming into the market this year, will continue to use heavy fuel oil.
Namely, AIDAnova will be the first cruise ship using liquefied natural gas LNG, while Hapag Lloyd Cruises and TUI Cruises are using SCR catalysts or on-shore power while in port on their new vessels.
However, the cruise industry needs to step up its attempts to reduce its emissions, according to NABU CEO Leif Miller, who mentioned:
With friendly words you will not get any changes, so port cities and coastal communities are now asked to ban dirty ships.
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The use of LNG can limit air pollution significantly and residents of port cities and coastal areas will breathe cleaner air, Dietmar Oeliger, Head of Transport at NABU headquarters said. For this reason he said that the fact that a cruise ship will use LNG is positive news, but all companies need to find solutions for cleaning the exhaust gases of their fleets.
Nevertheless, LNG by itself will not be enough. Namely, Mr. Oeliger highlighted that a study by T&E showed that ‘LNG brings no advantages regarding greenhouse gas reduction compared to diesel.’ For this reason he urged the industry to develop propulsion systems that not only reduce air pollution but are also CO2 neutral.
Without a general shift in the shipping industry the climate goals set under the Paris Agreement will not be accomplished.
In the same wavelength, James Mitchell, Manager at Rocky Mountain Institute said that when LNG is used in maritime transport, its lifecycle emissions provide little to no benefit. This ‘locks us’ to high carbon infrastructure, which is incompatible with decarbonisation.
