Low-emission fuels and shore power for German cruise sector
German travel group TUI's new cruise ship will be powered by low-emission marine diesel and could also use methanol, or even green methanol, in future, TUI Cruises boss Wybcke Meier has said ahead of the start of the cruise season.
Another new cruise ship, scheduled to start operating next winter, will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), she said.
German competitor Aida Cruises is already operating two LNG vessels, and Switzerland's MSC Cruises is building new LNG ships.
The cruise companies are also using shore power – connecting up to the onshore electricity grid – rather than running their fossil-fuel powered engines while in port.
MSC has converted 59% of its ships to shore power. TUI's three new ships are also to use shore power, and five of its existing six ships are to be converted to use the less polluting power source.
Shore power facilities have been set up in Hamburg and Kiel, and Bremerhaven is to follow in the autumn of 2025.
The European Union is calling for all major ports to offer shore power by 2030.
