Cruise Industry Is Backing the Wrong Fuel to Cut Emissions, Says Viking CEO
Photo Credit: Torstein Hagen, CEO of Viking River Cruises, speaking at the WTTC Summit in Rome. WTTC
Skift Take
Hydrogen isn’t cost-effective yet, but Viking’s bet signals where cruise shipping could be headed. For the industry, it underscores a growing split: LNG may buy time, but the long-term pressure to go zero-emissions is already reshaping investment decisions.
Torstein Hagen, founder and chairman of Viking Cruises, spoke candidly about the cruise industry’s approach to decarbonization at the World Travel and Tourism Council summit in Rome.
While many operators are turning to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a cleaner alternative to heavy fuel oil, Hagen argued that LNG is not the right path forward.
“The very worst thing you can do is to have LNG on the vessels, and that is the worst for greenhouse gasses. Contrary to what the majority says, they’re wrong. And it’s increasingly becoming accepted,�
