Ecoship presents its latest developments in Abu Dhabi
From 16-19 January, Peace Boat introduced Ecoship, the world’s most environmentally sustainable cruise ship, at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the most influential event dedicated to advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean technology, in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
Ecoship, which will carry up to 2,000 passengers and around 600 crew, will serve as a platform for Peace Boat’s global educational voyages, host exhibitions in green technology in up to 100 ports a year, and serve as a floating sustainability laboratory contributing to research on the ocean, climates and green marine technology. Furthermore, the Ecoship’s technology will minimize its environmental impact, incorporating features such as retractable sails, wind generators, solar panels and an integrated heat recovery and reuse system.
Peace Boat has worked with designers and engineers from around the world to produce detailed plans for the ship, and last September signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the classification society DNV GL to develop the project, with construction scheduled to start next spring.
“We have tried to achieve the most energy efficient ship and reduce as far as possible the negative impact on the global environment,” said Yoshioka Tatsuya, founder, and director of Peace Boat, who gave a Tech Talk presentation at WFES. “With the combination of solar panels, wind power and LNG we can reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent compared to a similar size conventional cruise ship –quite a remarkable achievement”.
One of the main reasons for the Ecoship project is to act as a flagship for climate change action, and send a message to the cruise and shipbuilding industry, he added.
“The cruise industry is growing so fast, particularly in East Asia, and the need to mitigate the environmental impact of such expansions is very important,” Tatsuya pointed out. “Through its technical characteristics and in the programmes that it carries out, we hope Ecoship will encourage a model for ‘green’ cruising and further innovations in the cruise industry.”