The cruise line began converting ships to have shore power connectivity in 2006 with its four Vista Class ships; its Pinnacle Class ships (KONINGSDAM, NIEUW STATENDAM and ROTTERDAM) all were built with shore power systems installed, and the Signature Class ships (EURODAM and NIEUW AMSTERDAM) were launched with a partial installation that has since been completed. 

As a part of its sustainability initiatives, Holland America Line uses shore power, also referred to as cold ironing, to reduce emissions and noise in port. Shore power works by plugging the ship into a dockside source, and the power source enables the ship to run all electrical equipment on board without using the ship’s engines. Holland America Line can connect in more than 18 ports worldwide, with more than 25 additional ports actively constructing shore power facilities or investigating the option to do so.

“At Holland America Line, our legacy of exceptional on-board care extends to caring for the planet, and having our entire fleet capable of shore power connection is a tremendous milestone in our sustainability efforts,” said Gus Antorcha, president, Holland America Line. “We have committed to reducing our carbon emission intensity 20% by 2026 from our 2019 baseline, and we’re on our way to reaching that goal through a variety of initiatives that include shore power. We look forward to more global ports embracing shore power capability in the future and are ready to work with them to connect.”

Ports that Holland America Line ships visit with shore power include Juneau, Alaska; New York; San Francisco and San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver, Canada; Bergen, Ålesund and Kristiansand, Norway; Kiel, Germany; and Shanghai and Xiamen, China. In 2024, the port of Rotterdam is expected to be shore-power ready, allowing Holland America Line ships to connect in another of its major ports.

Holland America Line initiated efforts to significantly reduce non-essential single-use items, and single-use plastics are not permitted on board. The company no longer uses plastic soda or water bottles, stir sticks, straws and bags, along with single-use food packets such as ketchup, mustard and salt. Recyclable glass and aluminum containers are the choice for water and soda pop. Plastic straws have been replaced with biodegradable straws, and plastic hot- and cold-beverage cups have been replaced with plant- or paper-based options.

“We’ve made our packaging changes in a thoughtful manner to ensure that we can both reduce our footprint and also maintain our outstanding guest experience,” added Antorcha.

To reduce food loss and waste, Holland America Line installed biodigesters that use oxygen, water and microorganisms to break down and liquify uneaten food to be sustainably released back to nature. This process helps to reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions created by the ocean’s natural food decomposition processes. Food waste dehydrators offer an alternate method of food waste processing that has the potential to reduce waste volume by about 90%. Dehydrators will be installed fleet wide on Holland America Line by the end of 2023 to reduce the overall volume of organic waste.