N-power for cruise ships?

Press, 13 March 1986, Page 3

N-power for cruise ships?

From

LES BLOXHAM,

Ballarat

In

New Zealand’s antinuclear policy could shut out luxury cruise liners of the future.

Shipping companies, in their quest for lower running costs, are now seriously evaluating nuclear propulsion for new cruise ships.

This was confirmed yesterday by the Royal Viking Line’s manager in Australia, Mr Haakon Kierulf, one of 20 guest speakers at Ansett’s annual international seminar for travel and transport writers in Ballarat.

Mr Kierulf told “The Press” later that most of the world’s major cruise lines were considering nuclear power as a cheap alternative to expensive oil fuels. He said that as far as he knew no final decision had been made.

"The big advantage of nuclear power is its extremely low running cost,” said Mr Kierulf. “Some companies are, I think, worried that nuclear liners might be unwelcome in certain ports. Others might ultimately favour conventional power because the

ships would then be easier to sell,” he said. Miss Sarina Anderson, Cunard’s regional manager for Australasia, said she did not believe that society generally would be prepared to accept at this stage nuclearpowered cruise liners. “But personally, I know it would be the most economic way to go,” she said.

Cunard has decided to steer well clear of the nuclear controversy by announcing the biggest and most expensive maritime refitting programme for the pride of its fleet, the liner, Queen Elizabeth 2.

Miss Anderson said that the company had decided, after two years of research, to spend $230 million on new dieselelectric engines and refurbishing the Queen Elizabeth 2, the world’s largest liner. The new engines would cost about $l6O million, crew layoffs, $3O million, and refurbishing, $4O million. The new engines would save about $2O million a year in running costs and would allow the ship to sail well into the twentyfirst century, Miss Anderson said.