European Cruise Service (ECS) green investments bear fruit
European Cruise Service (ECS) is experiencing strong growth and is seeing the results of targeted work with a zero-emission strategy.
“We have persisted in our strategy of delivering quality services and investing in the electrification of our transport services. This has paid off with solid recognition and strong growth in traffic in Norway. We very quite happy about that, particularly because cruises are a regional industry with extreme importance for destinations such as Flam, Geiranger and the North Cape. Never have we sold more excursion tickets for excursions in our regions,” says Andreas Storl, ceo ECS.
For the past five years ECS has worked actively with an ambitious large zero-emissions programme. The company is on track to achieve emission-free transport for cruise passengers on land well before 2030. ECS is working towards environmental certification with Travelife this year and GSTC by 2024.
“We are investing on a large scale to electrify all modes of tourist transport on land. In Norwegian ports, we now offer growing proportion of smaller electric vehicles that help spread tourism and give passengers experiences they would not otherwise have, because you are closer to the pulse of the city. In Bergen, on some days up to 80 percent of passenger transport is already conducted with electric vehicles. Our main collaborative partner, Boreal Travel does an outstanding job of acquiring electric vehicles in line with our requirements,” explains Storl.
“ECS works actively to achieve net-zero emissions for sightseeing tours, to better distribute cruise traffic and to contribute to increased local value creation. The company engages with authorities and in political environments via the lobby working initiative ABC to achieve better conditions for companies in the national cruise industry,” explains Arthur Kordt, entrepreneur and owner of the corporation.
In collaboration with CLIA and Cruise Norway, ECS has created a ‘Platform for sustainable cruise tourism in Norway’, which has been presented to the Norwegian Government’s Destination Committee.
This platform details how improved arrangements can be made for increased value creation from cruise tourism in Norway and what is needed to reduce emissions, pollution, and queues. It also points to the need for faster development of infrastructure for onshore power systems and biofuel, and calls for all organised, land-based transport of cruise tourists to be emission-free.
“Our strategy is to get excursions emission free, here we can make a difference. We have chosen to take active steps and we have ambitions to be far ahead of the local development,” concludes Storl.
(European Cruise Service (ECS) green investments bear fruit – Cruise Europe, ECS)
