Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

1 1 0 Artist ’s impression of Travelmarvel Polaris which Den Breejen Shipyard delivered in spring 2020 INTERV IEW A tipping point for river cruising Covid-19 and a greater focus on sustainability are changing the industry. Den Breejen’s Johan Kaasjager tells Elly Yates-Roberts how the shipyard is responding R iver cruising has been a popular vacation option for the past 20 years. Passengers have the opportunity to visit and explore multiple cities, all while returning to the comfort of their cabin each day. But the industry’s success may also be due, in part, to the formulaic construction of river cruise ships. “In general, we design a flexible base platform,” says Johan Kaasjager, commercial director at Den Breejen Shipyard. “The most common length is 135 metres which we can adapt to two and a half or three decks, and even shorten to 110 metres. For each of these versions, we design one engine room that fits all the requirements – whether it is a conventional propulsion system or a diesel electric one.” A new shipping-wide focus on sustainability could be changing the sector, with shipyards needing to consider new, more environmentally friendly technologies. “The world is changing not only due to Covid-19 but also with regards to sustainability,” says Kaasjager. “As a yard, we must push these kinds of evolutions.” Kaasjager believes that in order to adjust to the changing industry, shipyards must build with flexibility and adaptation in mind. “We design our vessels so that they can be retrofitted easily to become future-proof,” he says. “Batteries are still very expensive, so generally we would use diesel-electric propulsion and then retrofit in the future to become fully electric.” “ I would like to show existing and potential clients what is possible in river cruising”