Hurtigruten unveils more details on ‘Sea Zero’
The sails in the new design can be raised or lowered as needed
(Source: Hurtigruten)
Norwegian coastal operator and expedition cruise company, Hurtigruten, has released more details of its Sea Zero project aimed at developing a substantially more sustainable ship design. Still in its research and development phase, the project’s principals hope to commission a zero-emissions ship around 2030 with a total reduction in energy required of 40-50%.
The latest plans, unveiled by Vard, one of Hurtigruten’s Sea Zero partners, incorporate various energy-saving technologies including wind and solar power. The designers envisage that the ship will have contra-rotating propellers together with 60 MWh of battery power. Two retractable stern thrusters will help manoeuvring and provide redundancy.
Sails developed by Paris wind sail firm, OceanWings, may incorporate solar panels and could lead to energy savings of up to 10%. Ship operators will be able to raise or lower the sails as required and their precise design is likely to be the subject of model tests over the months ahead. The sails could well be based on OceanWings’ Lowerable Fixed Wingsail design which are already in operation on board the RoRo cargo vessel, Canopée, owned by Jifmar Offshore Services.
Hurtigruten chief operating officer, Gerry Larsson-Fedde, explained: “The central part of the project is to reduce energy consumption. The goal is to use significantly less energy than today’s ships, which requires innovative solutions … As with all development projects, there will be adjustments to both the design and specifications along the way.”
In a wider context, the company has implemented a EUR 100 million upgrade of its fleet to include the use of battery power and other energy-saving technologies. Its aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80%. Earlier this year, it announced an initiative to reduce edible food waste to zero.
