Whether you're upgrading an existing vessel or planning a newbuild, Wärtsilä can help you cut fuel costs, meet regulations, and elevate the passenger experience – all while protecting your bottom line. From quiet, efficient propulsion systems to digital twins that guide smart decarbonisation investments, we give you the tools to make confident, data-driven decisions.
Turn insight into impact: with Wärtsilä, you’re not just meeting today’s regulations—you can be shaping a more profitable, sustainable future for your fleet.
The ambition in the cruise industry is to go above and beyond – to exceed expectations. This is as true for the guest experience as it is for the industry’s drive to reduce emissions and decarbonise.
The strive to decarbonise operations is the key challenge for the maritime industry in general, and for the cruise businesses in particular.
Wärtsilä promotes a three-level approach to the maritime decarbonisation journey:
Here’s a more detailed list of actions that cruise lines can take to drive decarbonisation.
Making operations more efficient
Existing cruise ships can benefit from a variety of solutions that help improve the efficiency of operations. For example:
Adopting and using alternative energy sources
New cruise ships must prepare for the future and choose engine technology which runs or has the capability to run on alternative fuels.
Cleaning up emissions
If a ship cannot run on alternative fuels, the smart choice is to clean up emissions.
All three levels of action are necessary, and for all three, Wärtsilä can offer effective solutions: engines, propulsion solutions, abatement solutions, innovative maritime technology, and services. Integrated solutions from Wärtsilä can give you just what you need to stay competitive, compliant and profitable.
Over the lifetime of a cruise ship, new technologies and fuels will become available. It is essential to have the future in mind to meet regulations, passenger demands and financiers’ preferences.
Watch now! In less than a minute, Maikel Arts, GM Technical Sales at Wärtsilä will reveal some interesting opportunities that hybrid systems can offer to the cruise industry.
Staying up-to-date and compliant with international maritime regulations is essential for your cruise fleet, and Wärtsilä's solutions make it so much easier. For example, our digital tools offer real-time monitoring and reporting, so you can easily track and prove compliance with emissions and safety standards.
A handy tool that helps you plan, measure and report EUA costs. Accurately and easily!
Decarbonisation discussions often concentrate on fuel-saving, but one should not overlook the effect of maintenance. A well-maintained cruise ship with a clean hull will save fuel and generate less emissions. Simple maintenance practices can have a surprisingly big impact on the efficiency of your ship.
And though some improvements may be small, make enough of them and they will add up to substantial fuel savings – and therefore a significant reduction in emissions.
Learn more about the effect of maintenance practices on your decarbonisation success: “One simple secret that will make your emissions reduction strategy look awesome”.
Did you know that the guaranteed asset performance service helped Carnival decarbonise? Learn more from this case study on a win-win partnership between Carnival and Wärtsilä.
Managing the lifecycle of your vessels and other assets is the key to your competitiveness. And you won’t have to do that alone. Wärtsilä can help you in so many ways.
If you are planning a new cruise ship, you may think that as long as you have a warranty, you’re well covered. But there are six eye-opening reasons you should think again.
Decarbonisation services can help you to find your optimal decarbonisation path. You will get help for selecting the right solutions and technologies which will make the most economic sense.
When you are looking for the right decarbonisation strategy for your cruise ship, three simple steps with an expert will help you avoid investment risks:
Watch this video to learn how Princess Cruises discovered the best way to decarbonise their fleet with the help of Wärtsilä Decarbonisation Services.
Imagine reducing your operational costs while improving your fleet's efficiency. With Wärtsilä, you benefit from the lowest total cost of ownership—because while engines matter, fuel is your biggest expense. Our solutions are designed to help you:
Picture the scene: Your cruise ship is set to leave port with thousands of guest onboard. But there’s a problem which means your ship leaves port a day later than it should. What is the true cost of a day’s delay for a cruise operator? And how could you avoid such expensive problems?
Discover the benefits others have already gained from choosing Wärtsilä.
What everyone in the cruise industry should know about future-proof maritime solutions. Register now! Or catch up on webinar recordings.
Discover these hand-picked articles to learn about the many solutions for future-proof, sustainable cruise ship operations.
Adopting engines that use lower carbon fuels such as LNG, bio-LNG or methanol help reduce emissions. Hybrid solutions, ship electrification and shore power will cut emissions. Better ship efficiency means reduced emissions – and there are a lot of ways to improve ship efficiency, such as energy saving technologies, digital solutions, and smart services.
Hybrid propulsion in cruise ships combines traditional engines with electrical energy sources – usually batteries – to improve fuel economy, reduce emissions, and enhance operational flexibility. Wärtsilä’s hybrid systems allow cruise ships to switch between or combine power sources depending on the situation. For example, battery power can be used during port operations to reduce noise and pollution, while engines provide power during longer voyages.
Hybrid propulsion also enables energy recovery and storage, meaning excess energy can be reused later. This helps cruise operators lower fuel costs, meet environmental regulations, and improve the overall sustainability of their fleet.
The key advantages of LNG as fuel include reduced emissions and cost competitiveness. There is also an established and continuously growing global network of LNG bunkering facilities.
It enables lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduces other harmful air pollutants compared to fuel oil. And until sustainable, non-fossil fuels are widely available, LNG has an important role in the shipping industry’s transition to a zero-carbon future.
Owners and operators of LNG-powered ships need to minimise methane slip – the unburned methane released when burning LNG as fuel. Wärtsilä offers effective solutions to reduce methane slip, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving fuel efficiency. Upgrades can be applied to existing engines and are part of a broader strategy to decarbonise maritime operations.
Newbuild cruise ships can choose Wärtsilä engines with the NextDF feature, which cuts methane slip as low as 1.1% which is significantly below the IMO’s 3.1% benchmark.
Wärtsilä can offer effective solutions for driving decarbonisation and thus meeting regulations: engines, propulsion solutions, abatement solutions, innovative maritime technology, and services. Also, our digital tools help track and prove compliance with emissions and safety standards.
Wärtsilä’s cruise ship solutions, from hybrid propulsion to LNG systems can be part of your path to decarbonisation. Choose Wärtsilä, and you're not just getting great technology; you're making a smart financial decision for your cruise operations.
Let’s talk about your fleet’s future. Contact us to start your journey.
