To celebrate Earth Day on 22APR, AmaWaterways has outlined its efforts to make river cruising more sustainable, including minimizing fuel consumption, such as using solar panels on its ships, testing navigation assistance tools to optimize fuel consumption, the reduction of paper on board through MyAmaCruise app, and reducing food waste.
‘’Sustainability is the top and ever-present responsibility of every company in the travel industry,’’ said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways. ‘’Each of our ships and every itinerary we operate is thoughtfully designed to minimize fuel consumption but the impact we have on the local communities is also of utmost importance to us.
"We are currently building our two newest ships in Colombia and are proud to be working hand in hand with local architects, designers and suppliers to ensure we are not only properly incorporating and honouring this beautiful destinations’ natural resources and culture but also enhancing the lives of the local residents along the Magdalena River as many of these communities will be opening up to international visitors for the first time.”
In 2019, AmaWaterways’ AmaKristina was the first river cruise ship in the industry to receive the Green Award, which recognizes ships in Europe for their quality, safety and environmental performance. Since then, another 19 river cruise ships in AmaWaterways’ European fleet have earned the Green Award certification.
This year, the AmaMagna will use a brand-new feature: solar panels on the awnings of select staterooms which will reduce fuel consumption related to the heating and cooling of staterooms. A new River Track Pilot navigation system is also being tested on several ships to further optimize fuel use based on riverbed configuration and current conditions.
AmaMagna operates on a 10-engine diesel/electronic hybrid system, a first for the river cruise industry, that allows for less fuel usage and reduces noise levels. Even though the ship is twice the width of traditional river cruise ships, this new configuration of the engines is capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent, depending on river conditions.
Zambezi Queen, which sails on the Chobe River in Africa, uses a five-stage water purification plant, employing river water in the showers and tap aboard. The ship’s water jet propulsion system replaces a conventional system, ensuring there is no damage to the riverbed. Throughout the night, the ship operates on battery power and only the low-emission generators run throughout the day.
Additionally, AmaWaterways is tackling the growing concern on food waste and has replaced breakfast and lunch buffets with full service a la carte menus which is expected to reduce food waste by up to 30 per cent.
AmaWaterways is also the sponsor of the ODA Free Village English School in Siem Reap, Cambodia, established in 2011, as well as a financial support to Kliptown Youth Program in Johannesburg, South Africa, offering academic tutoring and arts programs to help enable local youth to rise out of poverty.
