New stringent emission regulations (zero NOX and CO2 emissions) have recently been announced for cruise ships sailing in the Norwegian World Heritage Fjords.
They will be implemented from the 1st January, 2026.
Startup cruise company, Nice Green Ferries (NGF) claimed to have met met this criteria with a hybrid cruise ship design and is considering deploying two ships in Scandinavia/Norway and the Mediterranean, the company said.
Proposed cruise seasons and routes:
*Summer season (1st May – 1st October) – Scandinavia/west coast of Norway up to Svalbard.
*Winter season (1st October – 1st May) – The Mediterranean area.
NGF said it was working towards ordering two environmentally friendly 160 m long hybrid cruise ships
The main objective for NGF is sustainability and to deploy new types of medium/small luxury cruise ships able to accommodate about 500 pax, the company said.
They will feature standard sized cabins, all of which will include a bathroom, two toilets, a balcony of around 37 sq m and a private Jacuzzi. The ships will also have three restaurants, indoor/outdoor pools and other amenities.
At only 160 m in length and 5 m draught, the 16 knot e-cruise ships will be able to offer itineraries, including many smaller ports, where large ships cannot call, and where future emission regulations will be very stringent or even zero.
Since many of the smaller ports do not offer shore power, the NGF cruise ships will be able to use their own power plants, with batteries/fuel cells to provide sufficient shore power with zero emissions.
This power plant will consist of several multi-fuel power systems, combining large batteries, windmills/solar cells, fuel cells (running on a fully enclosed ammonia cracking system), biodiesel/biofuels and also standard clean MDO, all as required and available.
A number of ports in the Mediterranean have already been in contact with NGF and expressed interest in being selected as ports of call, especially since the ships will have zero emissions when entering or leaving ports, and whilst berthed, the company claimed.
The ships will have advanced Voith VSP main propulsion systems (with active roll reduction) and two-bow tunnel thrusters, giving excellent manoeuvring capabilities in narrow ports where emphasis on minimum disturbance to the vulnerable seabed must be considered.
NGF said it will start discussions with some of the larger cruise ship operators for co-operation agreements relating to the marketing/operation of the ships, as well as with tour operators and travel bureaus, etc.
The company also revealed that it is in negotiation with two European shipyards to build the ships.
The plan is to build two cruise ships for delivery from 1st January, 2026, with another two as an option at a later stage, NGF confirmed.
