Cruise liners, as far as the demand for resources is concerned, are almost like floating cities. This is equally true for the Norwegian Dawn. Around 2,200 passengers, an 1,100-strong crew, ten restaurants, 14 bars, a theatre with over 1,000 seats, a shopping centre, a casino and several dance floors require a lot of power. To ensure that the consumption of resources remains manageable, energy-efficient marine engines from MAN Diesel & Turbo are used. The ultra-flexible, economical little power plants generate electricity that, thanks to a diesel-electric propulsion system, provides power for the luxury liner’s nifty speed, a maximum of 25 knots, as well as the on-board electrical system or the air-conditioning for all the rooms.
Yet just like in a city, not only does the power supply have to be assured, but so also does the water supply. It is calculated that each passenger uses around five times more drinking water while on board a cruiseliner than on land. This amounts to a total volume of around 2.5 million litres a day. Since this amount of drinking water cannot be carried on board, it is obtained from seawater. The process heat required for this can be taken in a resources-sparing way from the marine engines’ cooling circuits and their hot exhaust gases. Using this combined heat and power approach, almost 75 per cent of the fuel used in the engines is used efficiently. By way of comparison, a car engine achieves an efficiency level of just under 30 per cent.
Based on our sophisticated turbocharger technology, we offer a wide range of solutions that enable the energy contained in exhaust gas to be utilised mechanically, hydraulically or electrically. This consistent use of the energy contained in fuel therefore results from the perfect interplay of our diesel engines, which are economical from the start, with the appropriate generators and the specifically adapted energy recovery systems. This not only helps significantly reduce CO2 emissions, but the tangible savings in fuel also bring our customers financial benefits.