Environment
Yards

Green Edge Catapults Meyer Turku to New Heights

As sustainability climbs higher and higher on the agenda of international cruise lines, Meyer Turku is well positioned to take on the challenges of a greener future.

Typically, the ships emerging from the Turku shipyard have been about 10 % more energy-efficient than the vessels built by the competition, but Meyer Turku is determined to raise the bar even higher. The New Mein Schiff 2 – delivered in January 2019 to the German client TUI Cruises – consumes 30–40 % less energy than comparable ships.

Sustainability Manager Jaana Hänninen from Meyer Turku says that there are numerous factors that are coming together to usher in the age of more sustainable, responsible marine.

“First of all, regulations keep on getting more strict and cruise lines have to be mindful of the changes that are required,” she says, pointing out that most big players are eager to go “above and beyond” of what’s required, because that shows extra commitment to the environmental cause.

“The cruise lines’ customers are the cruise patrons and their rising awareness of environmental issues is very much driving the change. Sustainability is becoming a key method of creating competitive edge”, she says.

Costa goes green
Another good example of sustainable maritime excellence is Costa Smeralda which was floated out at Meyer Turku shipyard in March 2019. This 180 000 GT cruise ship will be ready for delivery for Costa Cruises in October.

For the Costa fleet, Costa Smeralda represents a step in a new, greener direction: Costa Smeralda is the first LNG powered cruise ship in the Costa fleet and, in fact, one of the first ones to sail the seas. LNG usage will cut all small-particle and sulfur oxide emissions and significantly reduce nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions of the ship.

In connection to the float-out, Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises, commented that as LNG brings a “breakthrough in fuel technology,” Costa Smeralda represents a major innovation for the international market and an important step toward setting new standards for the entire sector. Palomba added that Costa Group will continue to make “sustainable tourism” a key part of its industry leadership.

Suistainability 360
Meyer Turku, on the other hand, has been spearheading the LNG revolution in ship building for several years now, with already two delivered LNG ships under its belt. Still, LNG is only one area where big improvements are presently made, adds Hänninen.

“With regards to energy efficiency in general, there’s a lot we can still achieve as the recent advances in technology are considerable,” she points out.

Sustainability clearly extends to the economic considerations as well: Meyer Turku Group achieved a solid financial result in 2018, with turnover growing from 808,2 million euros to 969,7 million. The shipyard also managed to show a profit of 3,0 % for the year, and that money is already earmarked to fueling the current production ramp up of the shipyard. Meyer Turku is aiming to double its production in the next four years to meet the demands of its bulging order book (seven large cruise ships).

In addition, Meyer Turku wants to recruit 500 new employees by 2023. The company is also looking to ensure that the personnel’s unique know-how passes on to new employees and is educating 20 new mentors every year to make sure that the transfer of relevant knowledge is a successful one.

Follow the code
Meyer Turku’s way of operating relies heavily on its subcontractor network which is really the secret “backbone” of the Finnish maritime. With over 1,000 companies in the network, the challenge here is to keep everybody on the same page with regards to a large range of issues.

To further facilitate this, Meyer Turku introduced Supplier Code of Conduct – as part of its Supplier Network Management Programme – in 2018.

“We’re taking certain expertise and knowledge into our network to make sure that the rules are the same for everyone,” Hänninen explains.

By: Sami Anteroinen