Hapag-Lloyd Cruise to Sail Without HFO

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has announced that from July 2020 its global fleet will no longer burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) and instead run exclusively on marine gas oil with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1 % (LS-MGO).

"In doing so, the company will cut the emissions of its fleet of both luxury and expedition ships significantly. By transitioning to the low-pollutant fuel voluntarily, the sulfur emissions of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet will be cut by 80 %. Additionally, the switch to marine gas oil means a reduction in soot and particulates of up to 30 %," the provider of luxury cruise or an expedition cruise said in a press release.

Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises said: “With our years of expertise in the luxury and expedition segment, we set the highest standards in the industry with our ships and are committed to adhering to strict environmental protection standards. Already we have made significant progress in this context and never stop working to improve even further. These efforts have taken us far beyond the minimum statutory requirements. The decision not to use heavy fuel oil is a significant step towards operating environmentally-conscious cruises and an important investment in our future.”

In 1993 Hapag-Lloyd Cruises stopped using heavy fuel oil in the Arctic of its own volition and only uses marine gas oil with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1 %. At the start of the year, the company announced its decision to transition gradually and stop using heavy fuel oil in its expedition fleet in future. This important development now continues.

Additionally, all new ships of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises – including the EUROPA 2 and the new expedition class – are compatible with cold ironing and have been fitted with modern SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalytic converters. These converters clean exhaust gases and lower nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 95 %.

The global routes will be planned and carried out with an average speed that is environmentally-friendly, cutting fuel consumption by over one third. The Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet is also equipped with seawater desalination technology to produce clean water, as well as with biological sewage treatment plants. The bow thrusters and stabilizers run on environmentally-friendly bio-petroleum.