A new hydrogen-powered cruise will launch next year. Here's what that means.
A new hydrogen-powered cruise will launch next year. Here's what that means.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
How to travel more sustainably
Travel more sustainability with these eco-friendly tips.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
The cruise industry is exploring alternative fuels to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) offers some emissions benefits over diesel but may not be a long-term solution.
Green methanol and hydrogen fuel cells offer greater potential but face storage and safety challenges.
Batteries are viable for short-term, localized emission reduction but lack the capacity for entire voyages.
Cruise ships can often be seen as symbols of excess and environmental waste, but behind the scenes, the industry is working to create a cleaner course for the future.
While sustainable fuels for cruise ships are still not widely available, preparation for that day is well underway.
The industry aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and is investing heavily in adaptable propulsion systems and a range of potential power sources.
'We're still, I think, in the … position where every fuel has its benefits and its drawbacks, and not one of them with a clear winner,' said Matthew Collette, a professor of naval architecture and marine engineering at the University of Michigan. Most recently, Viking said it will take delivery of its first hydrogen-powered ship in 2026.
Collette walked USA TODAY through the pros and cons of some of the current leading alternative fuel candidates for cruises. Here's what to know.
Can cruise ships run on liquefied gas?
▶ What it is: LNG, which stands for liquefied natural gas, is 'a liquefied version of the natural gas that comes to your house,' according to Collette. As of August 2024, 19 cruise ships operated by Cruise Lines International Association's oceangoing member lines were capable of using LNG as their main propulsion fuel.
▶ Pros: When burned cleanly, combusting all of the methane, LNG can reduce global warming impacts by around 10% compared with the diesel fuel many modern cruise ships use, Collette said. LNG also contributes less to air pollution in ports.
'It's much cleaner than diesel fuel in terms of soot, sulfur (and) other things that can affect the local region around the cruise ship,' said Collette.
▶ Cons: Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and if any escapes unburned through the atmosphere, it has a high global warming potential. 'And it probably isn't going to get us anywhere close to net-zero for CO2 production, because it's only about 10% better than diesel fuel,' he added.
Other potential options include bio-LNG, which could get closer to net-zero by pulling carbon out of the air during the production process, though Collette said that has not yet been seen 'at any large scale.'
Can cruise ships run on green methanol?
▶ What it is: 'Green' denotes methanol that is produced without using fossil fuels. 'So, you're getting it from a biological source, or you're synthesizing it from renewable energy to make hydrogen, and then you capture some carbon, and you can make methanol,' Collette said.
▶ Pros: The fuel could also get the industry close to net-zero by removing carbon from the atmosphere to make the fuel. 'So, it has a nice circular property,' Collette said. Unlike LNG, it also doesn't need to be cooled to -162 degrees Celsius (about -260 degrees Fahrenheit).
▶ Cons: Green methanol has a lower flash point than diesel fuel, and the vapors are noxious. 'There's a lot of concern around explosion, leaks, because it's a little bit more dangerous than diesel fuel for those things,' he said.
The fuel is also bulkier, taking up roughly twice as much volume.
Can we have eco-friendly cruising?: What to know about zero-emission ships.
Can cruise ships run on hydrogen fuel cell?
▶ What it is: Cruise ship operators can run hydrogen through a fuel cell 'and you basically get clean power,' according to Collette.
'It's not being combusted,' he said. 'It's being chemically reacted in a fuel cell, and the properties of that process are very low impact in terms of the environment.'
▶ Pros: Hydrogen can be made by electrolyzing water, resulting in a zero-carbon fuel. 'It's just H2, so that's really nice,' Collette said. 'Virtually everything else about hydrogen is not nice.'
▶ Cons: The fuel is very difficult to transport and store and is explosive. 'It's incredibly bulky,' he added. 'The energy density is worse than methanol, and it has to be stored under either pressure, which is probably unrealistic for a cruise ship, or liquefied.' In the latter case, it requires cooling to below -253 degrees Celsius (-423 degrees Fahrenheit).
Can cruise ships run on batteries?
▶ What it is: Batteries allow cruise ships to operate emissions-free during voyages. Over 15% of cruise ships launching within the next five years will have battery storage, according to CLIA.
▶ Pros: Cruise operators could use battery power in sensitive regions, such as Antarctica or parts of Norway. 'You could certainly think about switching over to battery power for, you know, six to 12 hours at low speed and then have zero emissions locally while you're doing that,' said Collette. In ports without shore power infrastructure, ships could also shut down their diesel engines and run on battery power for several hours.
Batteries can also be used for hybrid propulsion, using batteries to help shoulder some of the load.
▶ Cons: Batteries don't currently have the energy density to power large cruise ships on a standard seven-day itinerary. 'I think we're a way away from that type of energy density, even with lithium-ion batteries,' Collette said.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Consumer sentiment rises for 1st time this year as inflation remains tame
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer sentiment increased in June for the first time in six months, the latest sign that Americans' views of the economy have improved as inflation has stayed tame and the Trump administration has reached a truce in its trade fight with China. The preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's closely watched consumer sentiment index, released Friday, jumped 16% from 52.2 to 60.5. The large increase followed steady drops that left the preliminary number last month at the second-lowest level in the nearly 75-year history of the survey. Consumer sentiment is still down 20% compared with December 2024. 'Consumers appear to have settled somewhat from the shock of the extremely high tariffs announced in April and the policy volatility seen in the weeks that followed,' Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a written statement. 'However, consumers still perceive wide-ranging downside risks to the economy.' Americans have largely taken a darker view of the economy's future after President Donald Trump unleashed a wide-ranging trade war, imposing steep tariffs on China, the European Union, and dozens of other countries. Yet in April Trump postponed a set of sweeping tariffs on about 60 nations and last month reached a temporary truce with China, after both sides had sharply ratcheted up tariffs on each other. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index, released in late May, also increased after five straight declines that were linked to anxiety over tariffs. U.S. duties remain elevated compared with historical levels, but so far they have not worsened overall inflation. Prices rose just 2.4% in May compared with a year ago, up slightly from 2.3% in April. Still, most economists expect tariffs to hit harder in the coming months. Consumer confidence is sharply divided by political outlook, with Republicans feeling much better about the economy under Trump than Democrats. Democratic sentiment about the economy was much higher under Biden, while Republican views were low. This month, however, sentiment did improve among supporters of both parties and independents. Consumers' inflation expectations — basically a measure of how worried people are about future inflation — dropped this month, which will be welcomed by the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve. Inflation expectations can become self-fulfilling, because if people worry price increases will get worse, they can take steps — such as demanding higher pay — that push prices even higher. The Fed meets next week, and is expected to keep its key short-term interest rate unchanged at about 4.3%.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Energy in Europe is also at stake as Israel-Iran tension escalates
Rising European energy prices are among the many risks of the current geopolitical crisis, which threatens to block one of the world's most important fuel shipping routes. Coupled with the trade war sparked by US tariffs, there are fears that the crisis may also drag down the global economy. The World Bank is expecting 2.3% growth for this year, after a 2.8% reading in 2024. Since Israel launched airstrikes against Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure on 13 June, oil prices have surged by more than 10% globally. High prices and supply disruptions, coupled with the implications of the trade war, are threatening to lower production globally. Markets are pricing in risks to the global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. Iran is controlling the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-third of global seaborne oil and one-fifth of global LNG shipments travel. If that gets blocked, prices could skyrocket beyond $100. Currently, a barrel of crude oil is traded for more than $75, and international Brent is around $77. Related Israel-Iran crisis: How vital is the Strait of Hormuz for oil market? Israel-Iran conflict fuels best month for energy stocks since 2022 'I do not expect that the strait is going to be closed,' Dr. Yousef Alshammari, President of the London College of Energy Economics, said to Euronews Business. He added: 'It is simply because Iran needs the Strait of Hormuz open for ships to go through for its clients, India and China.' However, even when it is not closed, the passage has already impacted prices due to the risks associated with the crisis. Some oil tankers have refused to go through. According to the FT, the world's largest publicly listed oil tanker company Frontline said it would turn down new contracts to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, 'insurance companies are likely to charge more currently, while Qatar is trying to delay its LNG shipments going through the Strait,' added Alshammari. Natural gas fields in the region are also attracting attention. Iran shares the largest natural gas field in the world, the South Pars field, with Qatar. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) coming from this region is vital for the rest of the world, including Europe. Though the EU has adequate supplies of LNG at the moment, the bloc's dependence on global LNG makes it vulnerable to geopolitical shocks as it is lowering its dependence on Russian gas. As the market weighed the recent risk of supply disruptions, European gas prices climbed significantly. The primary benchmark for European gas prices, the Dutch TTF (Title Transfer Facility) rose to a three-month high, nearing €41/MWh Friday at midday in Europe. Europe's imports from Qatar are providing nearly 10% of its LNG needs. Other countries in the region, including Egypt, also export LNG to Europe. However, after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, Israel closed down part of its own production, forcing Egypt to stop LNG shipments and prompting a spike in European natural-gas prices. Europe currently has a number of natural gas suppliers. Norway was the top supplier of gas to the EU in 2024, providing over 33% of all gas imports. Other suppliers included the United States, Algeria, Qatar, the UK, Azerbaijan and Russia. The largest LNG importing countries in the EU include France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. If shipments from Qatar are impacted, Belgium, Italy and Poland are the most impacted, as the country supplies 38-45% of their LNG imports, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The good news is that demand for gas is usually at its lowest level in Europe at this time of the year. Even so, the hotter-than-usual weather across the bloc is boosting demand for cooling, which could increase the need for energy in the coming weeks. 'Spikes in energy prices push up inflation, and can have a knock-on effect on the central bank's policy,' Alshammari said. Central banks, including the US Fed and the Bank of England, have stopped short on cutting interest rates as the uncertainty is rising. If they see that inflation is more persistent in the near term, and that — in the case of the ECB and the BoE — the 2% target is floating away, further monetary tightening could squeeze the economy with higher costs for borrowing and investment. "As a result of the Ukraine War, there was a pivot from the EU in particular to get their liquefied natural gas, their LNG gas, not from Russia but from producers including Qatar,' Marco Forgione, Director General of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, told Euronews. He added that anything constraining the transit of liquefied natural gas will have a quick impact on the EU, 'particularly in the manufacturing sector'. Oil demand is the highest in summer, partially due to industrial activity. But current supply constraints and higher prices could further squeeze manufacturing. For European businesses, who are already facing heightened trade tensions linked to US tariffs, facing the current complications is "like playing four-dimensional chess', Forgione said. He predicted that sudden spikes in oil prices and depressed shipping rates may result in significant consumer price increases, supply shortages, and shrinkflation. This is where a product shrinks in size but the price remains the same. Iran's energy infrastructure is in the crosshairs of the conflict. The country is the ninth-largest oil producer globally. At full capacity, the country produces 3.8 million barrels of oil a day, according to the US Energy Information Administration. But due to Western sanctions, Iran's oil exports are mainly shipped to China and India. Iran exports 1.5 million barrels per day, providing 10% of China's oil imports. If the world's second-largest economy, China, is deprived of this import, it could impact its economy as it is forced to source this from elsewhere, meaning prices could skyrocket. The potential geopolitical consequences of the Iran-Israel conflict are leaving markets on edge, and it seems volatility is here to stay. Meanwhile, Europe's role in the conflict remains to be seen. 'My biggest worry is that it turns out to be a wider conflict, involving European countries, UK and France. This is the scenario that nobody wants to see happen,' added Alshammari.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Energy in Europe is also at stake as Israel-Iran tension escalates
Rising European energy prices are among the many risks of the current geopolitical crisis, which threatens to block one of the world's most important fuel shipping routes. Coupled with the trade war sparked by US tariffs, there are fears that the crisis may also drag down the global economy. The World Bank is expecting 2.3% growth for this year, after a 2.8% reading in 2024. Since Israel launched airstrikes against Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure on 13 June, oil prices have surged by more than 10% globally. High prices and supply disruptions, coupled with the implications of the trade war, are threatening to lower production globally. Markets are pricing in risks to the global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. Iran is controlling the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-third of global seaborne oil and one-fifth of global LNG shipments travel. If that gets blocked, prices could skyrocket beyond $100. Currently, a barrel of crude oil is traded for more than $75, and international Brent is around $77. Related Israel-Iran crisis: How vital is the Strait of Hormuz for oil market? Israel-Iran conflict fuels best month for energy stocks since 2022 'I do not expect that the strait is going to be closed,' Dr. Yousef Alshammari, President of the London College of Energy Economics, said to Euronews Business. He added: 'It is simply because Iran needs the Strait of Hormuz open for ships to go through for its clients, India and China.' However, even when it is not closed, the passage has already impacted prices due to the risks associated with the crisis. Some oil tankers have refused to go through. According to the FT, the world's largest publicly listed oil tanker company Frontline said it would turn down new contracts to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, 'insurance companies are likely to charge more currently, while Qatar is trying to delay its LNG shipments going through the Strait,' added Alshammari. Natural gas fields in the region are also attracting attention. Iran shares the largest natural gas field in the world, the South Pars field, with Qatar. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) coming from this region is vital for the rest of the world, including Europe. Though the EU has adequate supplies of LNG at the moment, the bloc's dependence on global LNG makes it vulnerable to geopolitical shocks as it is lowering its dependence on Russian gas. As the market weighed the recent risk of supply disruptions, European gas prices climbed significantly. The primary benchmark for European gas prices, the Dutch TTF (Title Transfer Facility) rose to a three-month high, nearing €41/MWh Friday at midday in Europe. Europe's imports from Qatar are providing nearly 10% of its LNG needs. Other countries in the region, including Egypt, also export LNG to Europe. However, after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, Israel closed down part of its own production, forcing Egypt to stop LNG shipments and prompting a spike in European natural-gas prices. Europe currently has a number of natural gas suppliers. Norway was the top supplier of gas to the EU in 2024, providing over 33% of all gas imports. Other suppliers included the United States, Algeria, Qatar, the UK, Azerbaijan and Russia. The largest LNG importing countries in the EU include France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. If shipments from Qatar are impacted, Belgium, Italy and Poland are the most impacted, as the country supplies 38-45% of their LNG imports, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The good news is that demand for gas is usually at its lowest level in Europe at this time of the year. Even so, the hotter-than-usual weather across the bloc is boosting demand for cooling, which could increase the need for energy in the coming weeks. 'Spikes in energy prices push up inflation, and can have a knock-on effect on the central bank's policy,' Alshammari said. Central banks, including the US Fed and the Bank of England, have stopped short on cutting interest rates as the uncertainty is rising. If they see that inflation is more persistent in the near term, and that — in the case of the ECB and the BoE — the 2% target is floating away, further monetary tightening could squeeze the economy with higher costs for borrowing and investment. "As a result of the Ukraine War, there was a pivot from the EU in particular to get their liquefied natural gas, their LNG gas, not from Russia but from producers including Qatar,' Marco Forgione, Director General of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, told Euronews. He added that anything constraining the transit of liquefied natural gas will have a quick impact on the EU, 'particularly in the manufacturing sector'. Oil demand is the highest in summer, partially due to industrial activity. But current supply constraints and higher prices could further squeeze manufacturing. For European businesses, who are already facing heightened trade tensions linked to US tariffs, facing the current complications is "like playing four-dimensional chess', Forgione said. He predicted that sudden spikes in oil prices and depressed shipping rates may result in significant consumer price increases, supply shortages, and shrinkflation. This is where a product shrinks in size but the price remains the same. Iran's energy infrastructure is in the crosshairs of the conflict. The country is the ninth-largest oil producer globally. At full capacity, the country produces 3.8 million barrels of oil a day, according to the US Energy Information Administration. But due to Western sanctions, Iran's oil exports are mainly shipped to China and India. Iran exports 1.5 million barrels per day, providing 10% of China's oil imports. If the world's second-largest economy, China, is deprived of this import, it could impact its economy as it is forced to source this from elsewhere, meaning prices could skyrocket. The potential geopolitical consequences of the Iran-Israel conflict are leaving markets on edge, and it seems volatility is here to stay. Meanwhile, Europe's role in the conflict remains to be seen. 'My biggest worry is that it turns out to be a wider conflict, involving European countries, UK and France. This is the scenario that nobody wants to see happen,' added Alshammari. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
