HURTIGRUTEN Norway Chief Executive Hedda Felin (pictured) has backed her company’s position of more regulations on the cruise industry in its home country (CW 18 Jan).
Felin, who was in Australia to speak at the A Force For Good International Women’s Day event, said she would personally like to see stricter regulations along the entire coastline of Norway, rather than just the World Heritage Listed fjords (CW 17 Jan).
The Hurtigruten Chief Executive would also ban heavy oil on cruise ships throughout Norway, as her line aims to lead the way in sustainability with its hybrid retrofitting plan (CW 23 Sep 2022) and its Sea Zero project.
“We want stricter regulations, so we welcome this initiative, but we know that by 2036…technology is not ready for net zero,” she told Cruise Weekly.
However Felin said the line will be “fine” once Norway’s stricter regulations are introduced in 2026, adding it will be “prepared” for sterner regulations.
“We will be fine, I do know we have reduced CO2 emissions by 25%, NOx emissions by 80%.
“In the energy sector you have to be at the forefront, you can’t [just] take the regulations…the fleet is good for the next 10-20 years, and after that, [we will] have to discuss with the government…but we will be in dialogue with them.
“I think we have to be prepared for stricter regulations, and more scrutiny of our business.”
Felin rejects the suggestion from other cruise lines that restrictions on sailing in the fjords will see demand for Norway drop.
She described the cruise industry as “so far behind” in its preparation for sustainable sailing, having instead turned to lobbying in an effort to convince the government to strike down its proposed regulations.
“The cruise companies lobby quite hard that if there are environmental regulations, the tourists will not come, which is not true.
“We have the most beautiful coast in the world, there’s increasing amounts of tourists, it’s okay if it slows down, there will still be plenty of people.
“People will not stop being interested in the Northern Lights and Midnight Sun.” MS