By
Alex Smith |
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa 2 is now using cold ironing at the Cruise Center Altona in Hamburg, Germany. The process provides shoreside electrical power to the ship at berth while her main and auxiliary engines are turned off.
A successful undisrupted use and compatibility test was carried out while Europa 2 was moored at the berth during the pause in operations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The electricity was supplied by electric utility company Hamburg Energie and comes from 100 per cent renewable resources.
Europa 2, which has capacity for 500 guests, requires only 2.2 megawatts of power per hour during port time and was the first cruise ship in the world to be fitted with selective catalytic reduction catalytic converters, which reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by around 95 per cent. She is also the first ship to have Energy Efficiency Design Index certification, with carbon dioxide emissions 31 per cent below the required amount.
All newly built ships in the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet are equipped with the technology to use cold ironing.
“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,” said Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “We use marine gas oil with a low 0.1 per cent sulphur content in the whole fleet, all over the world, thereby going beyond the legal requirements. Successful use of cold ironing is another important part of our environmental strategy.”