Havila Voyages has claimed to have completed the first zero emission cruise through the Geirangerfjord in Norway.

The sailing, which took place on the company’s newest ship Havila Castor, follows directives from the Norwegian Parliament stating that cruise ships must sail emission-free in Norwegian world heritage fjords as soon as technically possible, and no later than 2026.

Havila Castor used battery powered propulsion for three hours when sailing through the fjord.

Havila planning more zero emission sailings

Havila CEO Bent Martini added: “We spent just over 60 per cent of the battery’s capacity on this voyage and that demonstrates to us that the goal of four hours on battery clearly is achievable.

“With even more testing and adaptation of all energy use on board, we will eventually be able to sail the entire world heritage emission-free without major challenges.

“We want to utilise our battery power even further, but to do that we rely on having in place the infrastructure for shore power to charge the ship on clean hydropower. We hope this will be operational in selected ports of call soon.

“In addition, we plan for a gradual blending of liquefied biogas to replace the natural gas over time. This requires biogas to made available to a large enough extent to meet our needs.”

Havila Voyages head of climate & environment Sandra Ness added: “It requires some resources to cook for over 300 passengers, as well for lighting on board and to heat the ship.

“When we sail emission free, we do everything we can to reduce the consumption of electricity, and sailing like this becomes a shared responsibility.”

Havila said that its ships can sail for up to four hours on battery power alone.

This, in combination with the use of liquefied natural gas, can reduce CO2 emissions by 30 per cent and NOX emissions by 90 per cent, according to the cruise line.