HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - Shipping companies are increasingly focusing on the issue of sustainability. Among other things, they are focusing on alternative fuels for their newbuilds. Tui Cruises, for example, will be putting the "Mein Schiff 7" into service in early summer. The ship will initially run on low-emission marine diesel, said Managing Director Wybcke Meier before the start of the cruise season. In future, it could be powered by methanol, with green methanol in the future.

According to Tui Cruises, another newbuild, which is due to start sailing in winter 2024/25, will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). According to Aida Cruises, it already has two LNG cruise ships in operation, the "AIDAnova" and "AIDAcosma". MSC Cruises is also building its new ships to run on liquefied natural gas. They could also be retrofitted to run on green methanol, reported spokesman Dominik Gebhard.

The power supply for the ships at their berths is also a concern for the shipping companies. If no shore power is available, the ship's engines have to continue running in port, causing noise as well as emissions. According to MSC Cruises, 59 percent of its ships have been equipped to use shore power, and this figure is set to rise to 72 percent by the end of the year. Tui Cruises plans to add three new ships to the "Mein Schiff" fleet over the next two years, all of which will be capable of using shore power. According to the company, five of the six ships in the existing fleet have also been retrofitted.

The expansion of shore power is also progressing at German ports. New systems will go into operation in Hamburg and Kiel in 2023, while Bremerhaven plans to offer the first shore power connection for cruise ships in the fall of 2025. The key driver in this area is the EU, which requires all major ports to have a shore-side power supply by 2030.

The International Cruise Ship Association (ICS) wants the cruise industry to be climate-neutral by 2050. This is too slow for climate activists. The environmental organization Nabu criticized in the autumn that the emissions of the entire industry have recently continued to rise. However, Germany is playing a positive pioneering role when it comes to shore-side electricity./rgr/DP/he