AmaWaterways Earns Environmental Cerification on 18 River Ships

AmaWaterways announced that 18 river cruise ships in its European fleet have earned the Green Award certification for safety, quality and environmental performance.

“We are proud to lead the charge in having our river cruise ships certified through the Green Award program,” said Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder of AmaWaterways. “Responsibility toward the environment is the foundation on which AmaWaterways’ ships are built, and our river cruise and tour programs are operated. Respecting the principles of sustainable travel while ensuring the safety and security of guests and crew has always been our top priority.”

The fleet-wide certification follows AmaKristina becoming the river cruise industry’s first ship to receive this designation. The 18 river ships now recognized with the Green Award include AmaBella, AmaCello, AmaCerto, AmaDante, AmaDolce, AmaKristina, AmaLea, AmaLyra, AmaMagna, AmaMora, AmaPrima, AmaReina, AmaSerena, AmaSonata, AmaStella, AmaVenita, AmaVerde and AmaViola. (Ships in Portugal are not part of this certification.)

The Green Award program is an independent accreditation process for ocean vessels, inland barges and river cruise ships. The certificate is a mark for ships that demonstrate high safety and environmental standards.

To earn the award, river cruise ships are evaluated based on the environmental impact of its engines, fuel consumption, waste and maintenance, pollution prevention and more.

AmaWaterways’ contemporary vessels—carrying 156 guests on average—are designed with eco-friendly elements, such as LED lights, insulated windows, power locks to plug into a port’s power supply instead of running generators, solar heating systems, and water treatment plants to provide microfiltration and recycling of all water used onboard.

At twice the width of traditional river cruise ships, the AmaMagna launched in 2019 with an innovative 10-engine configuration designed to reduce overall fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

Additionally, AmaWaterways has replaced individual single-use toiletries with soap/shampoo dispensers, replaced plastic straws with paper ones, added glass water bottles in all staterooms, and is testing the use of recyclable water containers made mostly of renewable resources to replace plastic water bottles during excursions.