Norway Delays Plan to Ban Most Cruise Ships from Norwegian Fjords

Plans to ban all cruise ships, except zero-emission ones, from sailing the iconic Norwegian Fjords will not be implemented until at least 2032 after an about-face by the Norwegian government this week.

Norway had initially planned to only allow zero-emission ships from sailing the fjords, a World Heritage site, starting in 2026, a plan that was approved a greenlighted in 2018. The government changed course this week.

The requirement for zero emissions will apply to all “tourist ships and ferries under 10,000 gross [tons]” starting in 2026, but larger cruise ships will have seven more years to comply.  

“The goal is to take care of the spectacular fjords and create sustainable tourism,” Norway’s Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said in a translated press release.

“The introduction of zero-emission requirements will both drive technology and contribute to the development of zero-emission solutions, which will benefit the entire industry,” the release said.

Eriksen specifically mentioned balancing preserving the fjords and stimulating new technology with tourism in the release and added that, with the new move, “I believe we have now succeeded on this.”

Cruise ships targeting zero-emissions

Most major cruise lines sail to the fjords currently, and while they had to alter plans looking ahead to 2026, they’ll now have the opportunity to again sail the fjords through 2031.

The delay also gives some lines more time to develop a fleet that would meet the requirements of Norway, including one in particular.

Hurtigruten, one of the Norwegian coast’s legacy lines, has released concept designs for its first ship with zero-emission operations that it hopes to start sailing in 2030, meeting that new timeline by two years. That ship will have three retractable, wing-rigs that will be covered in solar panels, which will be able to power the ship for 24 hours a day during Norway’s Midnight Sun.