A-ROSA on Course
For 20 years, A-ROSA has been offering city breaks by ship on the Danube, Douro, Rhine/Main/Moselle, Rhône/Saône and Seine. As the market leader for this type of premium holiday, our company has great responsibility not only towards our destinations, but also towards our guests and employees. We recognise this responsibility and therefore act as an industry pioneer in the field of sustainability. We are committed to ensuring that future generations will be able to experience the cities and landscapes we visit in the most unspoiled way possible and to preserve the fascination of Europe’s most stunning places.
An important milestone on the sustainable course of A-ROSA is A-ROSA SENA. The E-Motion Ship joined the fleet in June 2022 and is symbolic for our future. This unique ship has a hybrid propulsion system, which is composed of diesel and electric engines. A large battery enables the so-called peak shaving and temporarily purely electric driving. Thanks to this, A-ROSA SENA can dock in ports almost silently and without producing local emissions. The innovative concept of the ship, which among other things further includes a heat recovery system and exhaust gas cleaning, has already earned A-ROSA multiple sustainability awards.
Sustainability is an important factor in all business sectors. A sustainable course is an ongoing journey that does not involve a single solution, but an interplay of countless small, medium and large measures. To address this complexity, we have established our own sustainability department at the beginning of 2022. Together with our project partner, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), this department is currently developing a well-founded and holistic sustainability strategy, which includes a target-oriented roadmap. A-ROSA is planning to publish the results of this project in the near future.
The Sustainability Project of A-ROSA
For the development of a holistic sustainability strategy, it is important for us to have the support of a skilled, scientific project partner. That is why we work with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The Fraunhofer ISI is one of the leading institutes for innovation research in Europe. It investigates the many different conditions under which innovations originate and their effects and helps decision-makers set a strategic course.
The first step in developing a well-founded sustainability strategy is a comprehensive assessment of the current position of A-ROSA. For this purpose, we use methods such as stakeholder mapping and environment analysis. When all the necessary information and data has been gathered, we will calculate our sustainability footprint. Once we know this metric, we will create a substantiated roadmap to set concrete goals to reduce our footprint and define measures to achieve them. The Fraunhofer ISI will continue to support us in the coming years in successfully implementing and reviewing these intended steps.
Get to Know Our Sustainability Department
At the beginning of 2022, A-ROSA established its own sustainability department to approach the topic of sustainability holistically and to centralize all relevant points in one department going forward. Sandra Wendland, our Sustainability Manager, is in charge of the department and reports directly to the management of A-ROSA. She is supported by her colleague, the Junior Sustainability Manager Cynthia Hoppe.
Sandra Wendland graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Leisure and Tourism Management and afterwards completed a master's degree in International Business and Sustainability. While studying, she already acquired work experience at a large cruise company. She went on to work as a Corporate Responsibility Specialist for a large retail corporation. She focused on social issues, such as labour and social compliance in the supply chain, as well as environmental issues, in particular sustainable packaging.
Cynthia Hoppe has a master's degree in industrial engineering. While still a student, she worked at the Fraunhofer Institute for Large Structures in Production Engineering (IGP), where she was hired as a research associate after graduation. In the "Production Systems and Logistics" department, she supported regional industrial partners in making their processes more efficient. For example, she worked with a shipping company and a ferry and cruise operator to develop an innovative solution to reduce emissions through optimised workflows.
Wendland and Hoppe are now contributing all their expertise to A-ROSA and are working ambitiously on further advancing the focus on sustainability and developing a profound sustainability strategy with the support of the Fraunhofer ISI.
WASTE REDUCTION
Forward planning and a considerate approach help us to avoid waste as well as reduce and compensate for water and energy consumption. We have an efficient waste management process on board our ships.
All waste is separated and then handed over to certified partner companies in selected ports. This ensures that it is disposed of correctly.
CLEAN WATER
At A-ROSA we aim to preserve the high water quality of the rivers. Waste water undergoes a complex treatment process on board our ships via modern, certified systems.
This protects the rivers from contamination. The sewage sludge produced during treatment is disposed of at ports, by specialist companies.
REDUCING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
We’re working on removing non-recyclable plastic from our ships. Single-use plastic products are being replaced with sustainably produced or recyclable alternatives – from the bar areas to the kitchen to the housekeeping department. We refrain from carrying out unnecessary washing cycles. We also installed recyclable dispensers in the bathrooms and removed most ready-portioned products from the buffet. Almost all A-ROSA ships have water dispensers onboard, and the rest of the fleet will receive them soon. This allows our guests to use refillable carafes and water bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles.
REDUCING EMISSIONS
Our ships meet – and in most cases exceed – the strictest standards for safety and sustainability. All of A-ROSA’s ships are equipped with an onshore power connection, and we use it at all berths where it is possible. This avoids local exhaust emissions and reduces noise pollution significantly. Our ships are powered by marine gas oil (MGO), which is virtually the same as normal car diesel. It has a sulphur content of around 0.001% – more than complying with the EU rules for operating in European ports – and it doesn’t contain any heavy fuel.
Furthermore new A-ROSA SENA joined our fleet in June 2022. The innovative E-Motion Ship is hybrid powered, which means it has both diesel and electric engines. A large battery allows A-ROSA SENA to dock in ports almost silently and without producing local emissions.
A-ROSA SENA
A-ROSA is clearly focussed on sustainability. It was therefore a given for us that we would not rely on existing technologies for our new ship, but rather develop something new – something better. Matthias Lutter, our Head of New Building, is a specialist in this field. Together with the Concordia Damen shipyard, he developed an E-Motion Ship with a comprehensive energy management system, a battery storage and an optimised hull design. A-ROSA SENA’s propulsion system combines diesel and electric engine as well as a large battery. This concept enables peak shaving and temporarily purely electric sailing. This means that the ship can dock in ports almost silently and without local emissions. Thanks to the shore power connection, the battery can be recharged in suitable ports.
GREEN AWARD
Four A-ROSA ships have already received the prestigious Green Award. A-ROSA AQUA, A-ROSA BRAVA, and A-ROSA SILVA were thoroughly inspected and received a certificate in silver – A-ROSA SENA was even certified with Gold, a level that only a few river ships have reached so far. Since 1994, the Green Award certifies ship owners who are committed to sustainable shipping and whose measures go beyond official standards. For A-ROSA this renowned award is a motivation to further develop and optimize modern technologies and safe processes.