Lindblad Expeditions completed a new self-cleaning solution trial onboard its vessel National Geographic Explorer, reports Ship Technology.
Benefits of the self-cleaning solution
- The need for plastic detergent bottles eliminated
- Reduced water use and sickness among passengers.
The environmental benefits were clear to see.
Passengers expectations
According to Lindblad vice-president of hotel operations Bruce Tschampel:
Currently, the cruise industry has been subjected to tighter public scrutiny around its environmental performance like never before:
- Be it switching to liquefied natural gas or
- LED lighting fixtures.
It is what today’s green-minded passengers expect of cruise lines which is inline with International Maritime Organization’s (IMO), complete decarbonisation of the shipping sector set by the Paris Agreement.
Sailing in sensitive waters
He added that gentle sailing is more acute for those operating in some of the world’s more sensitive waters, such as the polar regions.
Waste accumulation
In addition to the damage carbon emissions wreak on ice sheets, the accumulation of waste plastics is a major concern.
In 2018, researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research found up to 12,000 pieces of microplastic particles in the Arctic Ocean – a three-fold increase on previous studies.
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Source: Ship Technology
