A-Rosa intends to have a fully hybrid-powered fleet by 2030, it has revealed.

The river cruise line is preparing for the May launch of A-Rosa Sena, which will use hybrid technology to operate on battery power when approaching a port, thereby reducing emissions.

Speaking at the 2022 CLIA river cruise conference in Budapest, the line’s UK managing director Lucia Rowe outlined the target to transfer this technology to its other ships – known as “hybridisation” – by 2030.

A-Rosa ‘dreaming big’

“We are dreaming big,” she said. “By 2030 all A-Rosa ships will be retrofitted – we know how we will do that, but there will be technological progress between now and then. Hopefully [we could have] smaller batteries.

“If we don’t protect a destination, there’s nothing to sell. You [travel agents] have to be ready, as one day a customer will choose a holiday based on sustainability. At A-Rosa, we are getting ready.

“The majority of us understood it [sustainability] a while ago – we can’t be reactive.

“This is an investment in our future and future guests. This is a journey; technology advances every day and it is vital we keep up and understand what is next.”

A-Rosa Sena – the first in a new generation of ships – will also be the first river vessel in Europe to generate electricity from exhaust heat.