People who are traveling the world now are far more in number than they were ever before. With this increase, the strain on the already limited resources has also increased. Efforts are being made to reduce the carbon emission with waste recycling initiatives. However, the question of satisfying the fuel demands is still there. The two most significant fuel consuming industries are the airline and cruise industry while there is no slowdown in sight. One company is looking to find an alternative source of fuel in a very unexpected place. Hurtigruten, a Norwegian company, is using dead fish to keep its fleet floating in the open sea.
While some established companies refuse to change with time, the 125 years old company, operating a total of 17 ships, has pledged to begin the operation. A third of these ships will run on a combination of liquified natural gas, biogas, and battery packs by the year 2021. The dead fish is also a part of their ambitious target. The company is also in the process of acquiring three-hybrid-powered cruise liners. There are also some plans to reduce the use of single-use plastic. Hurtigruten Chief Executive Officer Daniel Skjeldam said, “While competitors are running on cheap, polluting heavy fuel oil, our ships will literally be powered by nature. Biogas is the greenest fuel in shipping and will be a huge advantage for the environment. We would love other cruise companies to follow.”
While talking about the resource challenges of the cruise industry, the President and CEO of the Norwegian Cruise Line, Frank Del Rio said, “It’s been a very strong booking environment…and it’s gonna continue. Oil represents eight, nine percent of costs.” By a report on the cruise industry from 2017, German-based Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) CEO Leif Miller said, “Despite multiple claims, cruise ships are cleaner and greener, the industry’s attitude to the environment remains poor. The environmental performance of cruise companies is lousy, as is their attitude to transparency. Last year the sector claimed 23 ships would be operating with soot filters. The truth is not a single filter is working at present.”
This indicated that a lack of strictness and transparency in setting policies which promote eco-friendly practices and few examples of compliance from cruise industry giants both could contribute to the current situation. During the current times of resource uncertainty, an all-out collective effort is required to utilize the waste materials and promote a vision which supports a zero-waste policy. Such efforts are helping to transform the image of the cruise industry which is seen as one of those industries that are dying. Hurtigruten is not the biggest company in the world of its kind. However, the plans it is making to overcome the fuel requirements are highly appreciable.