Ecoship, with its stunning hull form and spectacular solar panelled sails, will be an inspirational sight as it sails into port: a true flagship for green innovation. This offers incredible potential for stakeholders in ports – governmental, academic, community and commercial – to utilise the ship’s visit for advocacy on sustainability issues. Ecoship will be an exhibition hall in ports, allowing innovators, companies and educators to display their green solutions to a worldwide audience, and welcoming people from every corner of the globe to cooperate.

Green technology innovations
Ecoship will be the perfect stage to showcase new technologies to equip participants with greater awareness of the impact of globalisation and with tools for sustainable living. On board conferences and events will be organised to raise awareness of both environmental issues and climate change as well as how Ecoship is contributing to solutions. Participants will feel personally empowered and responsible regarding their personal environmental footprint on board and their awareness about environmental issues will be increased.

Best technology directly available for future ship developments
It is estimated that the global shipping industry accounts for 3% of global CO2 emissions. While the cruising sector only represents a tiny fraction of global shipping, it must contribute to the agenda of solutions. The success of Ecoship, with its CO2 reductions and renewables use, will be evidence that viable maritime transitional solutions to decarbonised economies exist. Public outreach – every time Ecoship sails into a port – will result in worldwide awareness of the necessity and financial feasibility of improving shipping’s footprint. Ecoship will help change mentalities so that in the near future it will be unthinkable to cruise on a polluting ship.

Floating sustainability laboratory
The planet’s most sustainable cruise ship will also serve as a floating sustainability laboratory contributing to research on the ocean, climate and green marine technology. The main social mechanism that will be reinforced through Ecoship is the development of partnerships that will include many types of stakeholders, some of them already part of Ecoship, but also others that might come at a later stage, such as governmental institutions, international organizations or research centres. With its global reach, the ship will be perfectly placed to collect data and carry out research on the ocean and climate.

New cruising regions will develop on a sustainable basis
Ecoship combines its form and its activities to have not only the best environmental and financial impact, but also to make a positive human and social impact on its participants, local communities in ports of call; the global population and the cruise industry in Asia. As the cruise industry continues to grown in popularity and as the new markets in East Asia expand, Ecoship will serve as a model of green cruising that will contribute to preserving the natural environment that is a pre-requisite for the long-term feasibility of the cruise business. Simultaneously, we want to encourage the opportunities for tourism to develop sustainable and innovative infrastructure, create employment, share revenues, tackle poverty and isolation.