SeaDream Yacht Club has equipped its entire fleet with shore power connectivity.
Both SeaDream vessels can now turn off their engines and reduce emissions to zero while in ports with shore power facilities, the company said in a statement.
“This is an important milestone and a significant step in our journey to more sustainable cruising,” said Andreas Brynestad of SeaDream Yacht Club.
The SeaDream II completed the upgrade last fall, while the SeaDream I underwent the upgrade recently at Naval Rocha Yard in Lisbon, Portugal.
During the summer of 2024, both yachts will explore the Mediterranean, including the Greek Isles and the French and Italian Rivieras, before heading to the Caribbean for the 2024-25 winter season.
HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) celebrated a milestone when the Fridtjof Nansen became the first ship to connect to shore power at Midtbakki Terminal on June 9.
While at the Midtbakki terminal, the Fridtjof Nansen will use renewable electricity from Iceland, thus minimizing emissions during port calls in Reykjavik.
“The availability of sustainable shore power at the Midtbakki Terminal in the Icelandic capital is an important step in our efforts towards more sustainable shipping. We are proud to be able to supply another of our expedition ships, MS Fridtjof Nansen, with emission-free power in the harbour of Reykjavik,” said Claus A. Andersen, director of fleet operations at HX. “Using shore power is an important part of our strategy to make our expedition voyages climate-neutral by 2050.”
Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson from Faxaflóahafnir sf. (Associated Icelandic Ports) added: “HX is the perfect partner as they have broad experience with shore power connections on the Norwegian coast, and we are very pleased to be working with HX to take this innovative development forward. The expansion of shore power capacity is an important step to further improve the air quality in our harbour. We hope to encourage other operators to do the same.”
The inauguration of the new shore power connection on June 9 was attended by Halla Hrund Logadóttir, the current director of the Icelandic National Energy Authority Orkustofnun, and the Norwegian ambassador in Reykjavik, Cecilie Willoch. Willoch emphasized the importance of this collaboration to drive the green transition further in the future, including between local authorities, ports, cruise companies, shipbuilders and the technology industry.
The new Mein Schiff 7 was officially delivered to TUI Cruises today at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland, according to a press release.
The 2,894-guest vessel is the first built by the shipyard with methanol capability, Meyer Turku said in a prepared statement.
At the official signing ceremony, the shipyard was represented by CEO Tim Meyer and Head of Projects Tom Degerman, while TUI Cruises was represented by CEO Wybcke Meier and CFO Frank Kuhlmann.
The Mein Schiff 7 is the seventh ship of the Mein Schiff series built by the shipyard, Meyer Turku highlighted.
“Mein Schiff 7’s symbolic start of production, the steel cutting ceremony, took place at our shipyard on June 14, 2022,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
“We are very proud to have delivered the Mein Schiff 7 to TUI Cruises today, less than two years later. This was made possible by our long-standing and close cooperation.”
The Mein Schiff 7 is also the first ship in the Mein Schiff fleet to run exclusively on low-emission marine diesel (with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%).
The 111,500-ton ship has a shore power connection and is equipped with catalytic converters, the shipyard said.
In addition, the Mein Schiff 7 is built so that it can also run on methanol, which with the green methanol of the future, will make the ship’s propulsion power almost CO2-neutral.
“Receiving this ship is a special moment for us. Ten years ago, we acquired our first Blu Motion class ship here in Turku, and by 2019 we had built a total of six vessels,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.
“We would like to thank the Meyer Turku shipyard for the excellent cooperation and the development of our well-being fleet. We are now sailing on the Mein Schiff 7 to Kiel, where we will welcome the first guests on board on June 12,” she added.
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