Two Luxury Cruise Liners Powered By Hydrogen To Set Sail By 2027

It is no secret that cruise liners produce an exorbitant amount of emissions. Ship engines not only need to carry a hotel full of people across the sea but need to be revved up even when docked. Mediterranean Shipping Company’s cruise subsidiary, Explora Journeys, has perhaps found a solution with two new hydrogen-powered vessels.   

The Explora V and Explora VI are set to venture the seas in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Italian yard Fincantieri partnered with the Swiss company to build the ships.   

Their defining feature is the six-megawatt hydrogen power cell, which will generate enough green energy to power the hotel while it is docked on its journey. This essentially means that while in port, all engines can be turned off, thereby eliminating emissions. The hydrogen battery solves the age-old problem of docked cruise ships emitting carbon dioxide as passengers leave to explore destinations.

Each ship will be fitted with liquified natural gas (LNG), currently the cleanest commercial marine fuel because it gets rid of the production of air pollutants. 

To enable this new fuel to be used by its engines, a containment system housed in each of the liners will use liquid hydrogen. As a result, engines will be able to reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 25% when compared to cruise ships that use traditional fuel. 

Explora V and VI will be 62 feet longer than their siblings to accommodate the new LNG fuel and hydrogen batteries. As a result, new opportunities for different types of suites and amenities to be added to the cruise have arisen.  

The hydrogen-powered vessels are the latest additions to Explora Journey’s unreleased fleet of ships. Its debut vessel, the regularly-fueled Explora I, is set to voyage in 2023, heralding the company’s new venture into luxury liners.   

[via Robb Report and Maxim, cover image via Explora Journeys]