By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line has completed a project to equip all 11 of its ships with shore power capabilities, moving it closer to achieving its goal of cutting carbon emission intensity 20 per cent by 2026 from a 2019 baseline.
The brand began the project in 2006 and has since debuted four new Vista-class vessels and three Pinnacle-class ships with full shore power systems, as well as two Signature-class newbuilds with partial installations that have since been completed. It has also retrofitted older vessels with the capabilities, installing the final system on Volendam, which connected to the Port of Vancouver’s shoreside electricity for the first full day on 27 September 2023.
Holland America Line is now able to connect to shoreside electricity in more than 18 ports worldwide, including Juneau, Alaska; New York; San Francisco and San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver, Canada; Bergen, Ålesund and Kristiansand, Norway; Kiel, Germany; and Shanghai and Xiamen, China. It will also use shore power facilities in more ports as and when they become available.
“At Holland America Line, our legacy of exceptional onboard care extends to caring for the planet, and having our entire fleet capable of shore power connection is a tremendous milestone in our sustainability efforts,” said Gus Antorcha, president, Holland America Line. “We have committed to reducing our carbon emission intensity 20 per cent by 2030 from our 2019 baseline, and we’re on our way to reaching that goal through a variety of initiatives that include shore power. We look forward to more global ports embracing shore power capability in the future and are ready to work with them to connect.”