(With extra pictures) Japanese NGO and cruise operator Peace Boat, Tokyo, has signed a letter of intent with Finnish Actech Helsinki Shipyard Inc, for what is to become the world's most environmentally friendly cruise ship, the Ecoship Imagine.
Peace Boat was founded by students Yoshioka Tatsuya en Kiyomi Tsujimoto in 1983. Committed to peace, human rights and the environment, they organised trips with chartered passenger ships. Since then, Peace Boat has made over 90 trips and visited 100 ports in 80 different countries. In 2008, they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ecoship Design
In 2012, the Spanish Oliver Design started the design of the innovative Ecoship project: the design of a cruise ship that is to be Peace Boat's flagship, the Imagine. The design includes 10 retractable sails for wind assisted propulsion. The sails will be equipped with 6000 m2 of solar panels. The diesel generators will be able to run on MDO, bio fuels and LNG. Compared to a conventional similar cruise ship, the Imagine can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% and CO2 emissions by up to 70%.
The aerodynamic shape of the hull is based on a whale and the non-toxic anti-fouling hull coating mimics the skin of a fish. The ship will also be able to produce more water that it needs, which will then be donated where the ship docks and water is needed.
These are just some of the features that make the Ecoship special. Read the full article about this ship in SWZ Maritime's cruise special in the September issue (subscribers only). Below you can find a photo album with extra pictures of the Ecoship as well as a video.
