DIARIO DEL PUERTO THE VOICE OF CRUISE LINES 19 Managing Director Europe, Kevin Bubolz. SUSTAINABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY In addition, the US company has made reducing the environmental impact of its ships a priority, as well as continuing to nurture the passenger experience on board its holiday cruises. ”Our Sail & Sustain program showcases our total commitment to protecting the environment. In addition, it encompasses several business areas, from the use of cuttingedge technology in its infrastructures to reduce emissions and preserve biodiversity, to initiatives that are more in line with Corporate Social Responsibility,” says Bubolz. In this sense, the company is working on four core areas in its quest to implement a sustainable business model: water conservation and on-board water production; reducing the amount of waste and the impact it causes; community outreach; and fuel and energy efficiency. In addition, ”increasing sustainable supply, reducing landfill waste, investing in emerging technologies, our commitment to offset three million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) over a threeyear period starting in 2021, closing the gap in decarbonization until new technology becomes available, and greenhouse emissions are other cornerstones that are part and parcel of our program,” added Bubolz, who underlined that Norwegian Cruise Line’s approach is ”more holistic and goes beyond just reducing emissions”. However, unlike the other lines, Norwegian is cautious about the implementation of LNG, as it considers that there is not enough infrastructure in the world to be able to integrate it. ”If we were to implement it, we would be limiting our itineraries. ”We are investigating alternatives for our fleet and our new builds and expect to announce more information soon. As new alternative fuel sources become widely available on a significant scale in the future, we will be assessing how they can speed up our carbon reduction strategy,” said the Managing Director. However, he stressed that the new ships, the Norwegian Prima (due to arrive this August) and the Norwegian Viva (due to start operations in 2023), will be equipped with a number of innovative technologies, ”such as cold ironing, to maximize energy efficiency and reduce emissions both at sea and in port”. Bubolz also stated that the company is exploring contactless boarding, which was already used in 2021.
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