When Silversea Cruises’ latest ship takes its maiden voyage,
passengers can lay claim to sailing on what the company touts as one of
the most sustainable cruise ships on the market, and the first hybrid,
luxury cruise ship free of emissions while in port: an industry first.
The Silver Nova will be powered by a trio of sustainable power
sources, including a fuel cell system, battery technology and dual fuel
engines using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the main fuel.
"To give you a sense of it, the biggest fuel cell system ever
installed on a ship before was like 200 kilowatts, and ours is 4
megawatts, so its 20 times as big as any existing installation today,"
explains President and CEO of Silversea Cruises, Roberto Martinoli.
That's not all. A micro auto gasification system embedded reduces
onboard waste volume which translates to lower incineration emissions;
crew will opt for shore power; an optimised hydrodynamic ship design and
more low-impact technological innovations are among innovations which
Silversea expects will cause the Nova to score higher than what the
International Maritime Organization requires.
All that, without sacrificing on energy efficiency too, which
Martinoli says is "going to be 40% more efficient than any other vessel
on our fleet".
As well, Silver Nova’s sustainability features make the ship
especially relevant for all the remote and smaller ports where limiting
the environmental impact is critical.
“Sustainability is the future of luxury travel, and the name Silver
Nova is representative of the incredible innovation of Silversea’s
luxury," said Barbara Muckermann, chief commercial officer for Silversea
in a TravelAge West report.
Nova will be the first Silversea ship to be built in Papenburg,
Germany, by Meyer Werft, known for constructing other environmentally
friendly cruise ships. It celebrated its initial steel cutting last 18
November.
This aligns with Silversea’s long-standing commitment to the
environment and the communities it serves. Together, the Nova class of
ships will represent a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per
double suite versus its previous Muse class, of which Dawn is included.
“In a word: she’s a gamechanger," concludes Martinoli.
Silver Nova's maiden voyage will take place in the Atlantic coast of Europe sailing from Southampton to Lisbon.