Peace Boat to Showcase Ecoship at Nor-Shipping

Peace Boat is an international nongovernmental and nonprofit body. It has operated for the last 34 years, chartering cruise vessels to voyage worldwide conducting educational programs, cooperative projects, advocacy activities and promoting responsible travel. However, it has now pledged to build its own vessel, the Ecoship, by 2020, utilizing pioneering green technology to challenge conventional designs and illustrate new possibilities for cruise and the broader maritime industry.

“Peace Boat is a true disruptor,” comments Sofia Fürstenberg, Nor-Shipping Project manager - Disruptive Sustainability. “From their first voyage in 1983 to promote regional peace and understanding in Asia, through to their 100th trip next year and on to the Ecoship’s launch in 2020, the organization has chosen radically innovative pathways to work towards the loftiest goals. Their ambitions are big and their commitment absolute. They really are champions of Disruptive Sustainability.

“The new vessel, which is being developed in partnership with DNV GL, alongside a host of global supporters, will be a staggering achievement. With a hull inspired by the naturally aerodynamic form of a humpback whale, the LNG fuelled, bio-fuel ready 55,000t ship will generate 40% less CO2 emissions than conventional vessels. As such it’ll set new standards for cruise and no doubt be a catalyst for positive change throughout shipping.

“It’ll be hugely exciting to find out how the plans and international collaborative process are now developing. I, and the whole of the maritime world, will be following this project with interest.”

Alongside exhibiting details of the ship, which also features retractable wind generators, kinetic floors and ten photovoltaic sails, Peace Boat will be represented by Founder and Director Yoshioka Tatsuya, who will speak to delegates on 31 May as a key contributor in the Fuelling the Future debate, part of the Agenda Ocean program.

“Yoshioka Tatsuya provides a prime example of someone who approaches challenges from a new direction,” Fürstenberg notes, “rejecting convention to find innovative solutions that create genuine impact. This is the essence of Hall A.”

She continues: “We can promise delegates something unlike anything they’ve ever seen at a maritime exhibition. A place where the boundaries of industry are smashed open and the best ideas are drawn in from new arenas, new actors and new ways of working together. With exhibitors such as Hyperloop TT, Siemens and Kongsberg Digital, and with a truly interactive design experience throughout the hall, this lively space will be buzzing with innovation, energy and the raw potential of discovery.

“The world is changing fast, and shipping has to keep up. Hall A at Nor-Shipping will help set the pace the future demands.”

Nor-Shipping offers a packed program of events and activities across city center Oslo and its exhibition facilities in Lillestrøm from May 30 to June 2. In total, around 35,000 visitors are expected from over 80 countries, with almost 1,000 of the world’s leading maritime companies showcasing products and services to the industry, future talent and shipping value chain stakeholders.