All Aboard London’s Sustainable Megaboat
Everything about Oceandiva London is big, except for its carbon footprint
You could be forgiven for thinking how a boat that’s longer than a jumbo jet and big enough to host conferences, gets approval to sail the Thames… given Mayor Sadiq Khan’s desire to make London a carbon neutral city by the end of the decade.
After all, shipping is one of the worst offenders when it comes to pollution. In fact, according to a 2019 Financial Times report, the ships used by Carnival Cruises “are more polluting than all of Europe’s cars”.
But, suprisingly, when Oceandiva London embarks on its first journey along the Thames this Autumn, it will be as a carbon neutral vessel.
Meet The Leader went to along to the press launch of Oceandiva at London’s Landing Forty Two in the Leadenhall Building to find out the story behind this sustainable mega boat.
“Oceandiva is leading the way to a net zero future for the events industry,” said Greg Lawson, CEO of Smart Group, which is working in collaboration with Oceandiva, a Dutch events company founded in 2003. Together they’ve invested £25m in OceanDiva London.
“The project is the first of its kind in the world and where better to launch it than the world-beating city of London,” added Lawson, on this culmination of six years-worth of planning.
“The journey started with an ambition to create a multi-purpose event venue on the Thames – and after listening to stakeholders reflecting and adapting to the challenges of the modern era, sustainability needs to be at the core of everything that we do.
Oceandiva London will be “powered by 100% renewable energy rely on fast charging shore based green electricity,” added Smart Group MD Chloe Jackson. “This is further supported by onboard solar panels and a backup biofuel generator for any longer excursions.”
In order for Oceandiva to operate on the Thames in the first place, electric charging points will be installed along different banks of the River, which previously lacked this infrastructure. And which is great news for the future of carbon neutral transport, as it’ll pave the way for more electric boats to use the Thames.
Although Oceandiva has been operating successfully for some years in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, when the idea was first floated (pardon the pun) of a giant ‘party boat’ sailing on the Thames, fears were expressed about noise pollution.
The boat, however, will boast state-of-the-art architectural design with the latest marine technology, featuring noise-reducing electric engines, and superior soundproofing. And it is more likely to be hosting corporate events than parties, with a roster of clients that includes Porsche, Microsoft and Jaguar.
To give you a sense of how big it is, Oceandiva London can accommodate 1,500 guests is 86m in length and 17m in breadth, spanning three decks.
Just about the only it can’t do is provide a cure for sea sickness…