The matter in summary: – The state has tightened the rules for tourist ships and ferries in Norwegian world heritage fjords, with a requirement for zero emissions from 2026 for ships under 10,000 gross tonnes, and from 2032 for larger ships. – The rules are part of a plan for sustainable tourism and will contribute to technology development and lower emissions.- The government has previously been criticized for delaying presenting the rules.- The new regulations have been the subject of strong conflicts of interest, and several cruise destinations have expressed concern that strict requirements could threaten their livelihoods and livelihoods.- The state will finance an onshore power plant in Flåm, and the scheduled boats of Vestland County will be exempted from the zero-emission requirement until further notice. – The new rules are based on a proposal from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, which believes that they provide the best balance between the aim of zero-emission and continuing cruise traffic in the world heritage fjords. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Six years after the Storting decided that cruise ships must be emission-free before they are allowed to sail in Norwegian world heritage fjords, the government today presented new and concrete rules to ensure “sustainable tourism” in the fjords. – The goal is to take care of the spectacular fjords, says Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. – The requirement for zero emissions will contribute to technology development, lower emissions and ensure the world heritage fjords as attractive tourist destinations. The requirement for zero emissions primarily applies to tourist ships and ferries under 10,000 gross tonnes. Here, the requirement will apply from 1 January 2026. For larger ships, the requirement will only take effect in 2032. As recently as July, the government was criticized for “procrastinating” in presenting the rules, and that this affected the most offensive actors who took the additional cost of taking the lead. – We are of course satisfied that a solution has been found. Just the waiting time and uncertainty it has created for the huge tourism industry in the municipality has eaten away, but now we are happy that there is finally a solution we can live with, says mayor of Aurland municipality, Kjell Bøe Bjørgum. He adds: – Landing this case after six years where the future has been uncertain is a milestone in itself. The minister should have boasted about having achieved what three other ministers have not been able to complete. – The introduction of requirements for zero emissions will both drive technology and contribute to the development of zero-emission solutions, which will benefit the entire industry, says Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. Photo: NTB Existential anxiety among several of the cruise destinations The new regulations have been the subject of strong conflicts of interest. The fundamental question is how flexible the zero-emissions requirement should be during a transition period, before new technology is introduced. The conflict peaked last autumn when Aurland and other cruise destinations complained to the state to the European monitoring body ESA. According to the complainants, the state had blocked the way and only launched a “hopeless proposal” that the ship should be powered by biogas during a transition period. At stake lies an existential anxiety among several of the cruise destinations that their livelihoods and livelihoods may disappear if the requirements are too strict and rigid. The new regulations therefore contain several “concessions” and handshakes, among other things, the scheduled boats of Vestland County will be exempted from the zero emission requirement “until further notice”. In addition, the state will help finance a land tram system in what is perhaps the most iconic cruise village – Flåm. – It has been important for me to find a solution that stimulates technological development, takes care of tourism in the ports of call and provides sufficient predictability for the industry, says Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. – I think we have been most successful with this. The cruise industry contributes to value creation along the coast, but at the same time causes greenhouse gas emissions and pollution that affects the world heritage fjords. Photo: Sondre Dalaker / news – Our advice provides the best balance The new regulations are based on a proposal that was put forward by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate before Christmas. Based on the opposition, the directorate agreed to several types of fuel within the framework of a more “accommodating” set of regulations. In a letter of recommendation to the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD), Director of Shipping Knut Arild Hareide wrote that they assessed the consequence of the transitional arrangement to be “approximately the same as the original arrangement, both when it comes to driving innovation and cutting emissions.” – Our recommendation provides the best balance between the goal of zero emissions and continued cruise traffic in the world heritage fjords, said Hareide. The new regulations are based on a proposal that was put forward by Director of Shipping Knut Arild Hareide before Christmas. Photo: NTB Environmental requirements for the cruise industry Only Spain, Italy, Greece and France have greater emissions from cruise ships than Norway. According to a study by the European organization Transport & Environment (T & E), the emission of health-damaging sulfur dioxide from cruise traffic is five times higher than from all other ship traffic along the Norwegian coast. According to Vestlandsforsking, the disappearance of cruise ships in Vestland last year contributed to 60,000 tonnes less CO₂ being released. This corresponds to the annual emissions from 26,000 cars. In 2018, the Storting decided that cruise ships must be completely emission-free before they are allowed to sail in Norwegian world heritage fjords from 2026. In February 2019, 12 Norwegian cruise municipalities agreed on 14 environmental requirements for the Cruise Owners Act. From 1 March 2019, it has been a requirement in the world heritage fjords that ships must use fuel with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1 per cent. Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen was the first cruise ship that could sail all-electric, for 45–60 minutes. Since then, several other cruise ships have received battery packs, but there is still a long way to go before the fleet approaches the emissions target. Published 27.08.2024, at 14.06
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The state introduces zero emission requirements in Norwegian fjords – news Vestland
