Meyer Werft Presents “Vision” for a Battery-Electric Cruise Ship
The German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, well known for its innovation in cruise ship design and construction, is presenting a new concept for the world’s first 100 percent battery-electric cruise ship with a size of more than 80,000 gross tons, which it aptly named Project “Vision.” It reports that the concept study demonstrates how sustainable innovations can redefine the future of the cruise industry while emphasizing the technology concepts that already exist to make a large, battery-electric cruise ship a reality.
“We asked ourselves how we can use innovation to reduce CO2 and contribute to decarbonization — not in 50 years, but much sooner,” explains Tim Krug from the Meyer Werft Concept Development Group. With this design, he emphasizes, they can “enable a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 95 percent.”
Meyer Werft transitioned into cruise ship construction in the 1980s, starting with 40,000 to 45,000 gross ton ships. Over the decades, it expanded its capabilities and introduced innovative solutions, including the AIDAnova (183,900 gross tons), introduced in 2018 as the first LNG-fueled cruise ship.
The concept for Project “Vision” is based on a ship around 82,000 gross tons. It would be 275 meters (just over 900 feet) long and have accommodations for 1,856 passengers.
“With battery-electric cruise ships, we offer a competitive product that relies on existing technologies,” says Johannes Bade, who is overseeing the development program for “Vision” at Meyer Werft. “We are opening up entirely new opportunities for our customers to operate sustainably and profitably in the long term.”
Battery-electric would eliminate main engines and the need for exhaust stacks, providing a new style of outdoor decks (Meyer Werft)
A few cruise ship companies have incorporated batteries into their vessels. Hurtigruten Explorations put batteries on its vessels, and Havila demonstrated batteries during a first-ever sailing in the Geirangerfjord in 2022. However, these systems have limited durations and are challenged to meet the large power needs of the hotel operation.
Meyer Werft explains that the battery system for its concept ship would come from Norway’s Corvus Energy. It says the technology is available today, and if ordered this year, it could deliver the first ship in 2031.
With the battery system, a large portion of typical European cruise routes can be covered, for example, the route from Barcelona to Civitavecchia. By 2030, Meyer Werft highlights that around one hundred ports across Europe will offer the required shore power charging infrastructure.
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Project “Vision” also takes advantage of the benefits of batteries to introduce a new architectural approach to cruise ship design. It is possible to eliminate the current vertical shaft running through the ship for exhaust treatment and the funnel. Meyer Werft imagines a new sun deck design with unobstructed views and without the exhaust from the engines. The elimination of main engines would also improve onboard comfort, with even fewer engine noises and vibrations.