Norwegian cruise operator Hurtigruten is to power its ships using liquefied biogas (LBG) produced from dead fish and other kinds of organic waste.
In an announcement at the end of last week, the business said that the LBG used to power its ships would be fossil free and renewable. The fish used in the biogas will come from "cutaways" – essentially waste produce – from fisheries.
"What others see as a problem, we see as a resource and a solution," the company's CEO, Daniel Skjeldam, said in a statement.
"While competitors are running on cheap, polluting heavy fuel oil, our ships will literally be powered by nature," Skjeldam went on to state. "Biogas is the greenest fuel in shipping and will be a huge advantage for the environment. We would love other cruise companies to follow."
Hurtigruten said that 2019 would see the company introduce the MS Roald Amundsen, which it described as "the world's first battery-hybrid powered cruise ship."
By the year 2021, the business wants to operate at least six of its ships with biogas and batteries, combined with liquefied natural gas.
Hurtigruten is the latest company looking to power its ships with renewable energy.
Finnish shipping business Viking Line's M/S Viking Grace has been fitted with a rotor sail that enables it to use wind power during trips between Finland and Sweden.
The vessel uses a 24-meter-tall cylindrical rotor sail developed by Norsepower Oy, another Finnish company. The sail uses something called the "Magnus effect" for propulsion. As the rotor spins, passing air flows with a lower pressure on one side compared to the other, creating a propulsion force.
