YSA Design joins team developing first zero-emission cruise ship

YSA Design has joined the team planning to build the world’s first zero-emission cruise ship, following a formal invitation to join the consortium behind the Northern Xplorer (NX) venture. The Oslo-based design firm will oversee key aspects of project development, helping to convert the concept into reality.

NX has signed a Letter of Intent with Portugal’s West Sea shipyard to build the 140-metre, 250-guest capacity ship with 125 cabins, which should be ready for the 2026 cruise season. The vessel will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.

“As coordinating architect, YSA Design is developing the GA [general arrangement], and offering layouts and renderings in close cooperation with designer Axel Brox,” says Trond Sigurdsen, senior architect, YSA Design. “With his out-of-the-box thinking on designing for hospitality, he is a breath of fresh air. Drawing on nearly 40 years of cruise experience, we are also developing the quality assurance for future construction plans.”

Last November (2022), Northern Xplorer announced classification society DNV Maritime would be responsible for new building supervision and classification of its inaugural vessel.

Underpinning all of YSA Design’s work will be the ship’s ‘destination discovery’ ethos, adds Sigurdsen. “The Northern Xplorer project is exciting on many levels. The thinking behind its net zero operations extends to the sustainable relationships this ship will develop with its destination communities.”

Northern Xplorer’s scale, itineraries and shipboard facilities aim to reflect the small harbours and communities which it will visit. “The ship will be catering to the thinking traveller, who is mindful that sustainability is increasingly central to the cruise experience,” says Sigurdsen.

Designers have been tasked with specifying reusable materials from Scandinavia, where possible, which should also be recyclable. Life cycle planning for key materials for the zero-emission cruise ship is also considered an important element in the building process.

In Norway new government regulations will make zero-emissions mandatory in the Unesco World Heritage sites of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord from 2026. As a result, the only vessels allowed to operate in these fjords will have to be emission-free.