[narrator] Sailing the high seas is one of humanity's
greatest accomplishments. Cargo ships transport up to three million
containers in their lives. Hi-tech terminals
ensure a precise transshipping process. Everything we do out here,
when we are navigating on the seas, we need to do well in advance.
We need to have a plan. [narrator] Every year, new, even bigger cargo ships are built, and special vessels
cut through even the thickest pack ice. Entire oil rigs traverse the oceans towed by extremely powerful tugboats. The latest navigational systems
guide them safely across the waters. Nowadays, technology means that you
always have a very accurate position. But it can always happen
that something is wrong with it. [narrator] Giant cruise ships,
like floating cities, carry millions of passengers. Ships move the world. But they are also gargantuan polluters. Pioneers want to change that
with revolutionary, environmentally-friendly technology
for the future. In spite of all that progress, seamen still wrestle
with the forces of nature until the life of a ship
eventually comes to its end, and people take it apart again, piece by piece. I work here,
because this is the only work I know. I started here when I was only a kid,
and today, I'm an engineer. [narrator] And new giants of the seas are born again. [narrator] Today,
container ships transport about 90 percent of all global trade. Almost two billion pieces of goods travel the seas in containers every year. In the port of Hamburg alone, about 170,000 containers
are loaded and unloaded every week. Stacked on top of each other,
they would reach the ISS space station. And that's more
than 400 kilometers above the earth. And even a little bit beyond that. But who builds all these ships
that carry these goods? The order books of the shipyards
where these giant are built are not as well-filled as they used to be
just a few years ago. That puts more pressure on prices. Globally, many shipyards
have had to shut down. About 350 remain in business. The majority in Asia, since wages there
are lower than in Europe and governments pay subsidies. As in the case here,
in China, near Shanghai. Seven o'clock in the morning. The workday starts for 3,500 people. They build so-called "bulk carriers"
for a German shipping company. The foundation of any ship is steel. First, workers cut steel plates that are up to ten centimeters thick
using laser cutters. Then they reassemble them and take the 150,000 individual parts
to form the components of the ship, the interior and the hull. After that, these pieces,
like in a giant jigsaw puzzle, are joined together into sections. Liu Jianlin is a crane operator. Her job is to place
every finished component in its proper spot. The pieces can weigh up to 800 tons. Using tact and a light touch, she hoists these steel elements
into the nearly 300-meter-long and 30-meter-wide colossus. You need laser-sharp focus. I concentrate only on the task at hand. And it takes courage
and a lot of patience. And, of course, you cannot fiddle
with your smartphone when on the job. [narrator] The launching of the
"Kendra Oldendorff" is drawing nearer. This magical moment when a cargo ship
sails off into the sea for her maiden voyage. And, of course,
when putting together such a ship, every welding seam
must be absolutely flawless and without any gaps. A big responsibility
for welders like Gu Hai Bing. As a kid, I always dreamed
of traveling the oceans. But it never happened. But I think it's great for me
to be building ships here in China that can carry my dream
out into the world. That makes me proud. [narrator]
The moment has finally arrived. The cargo ship glides into the water
for the first time, propelled only by its own weight. The fact that this colossal construction
of 14,100 tons of steel is able to float at all
is due to its special shape. A block of steel would just sink. You have to change its volume until its buoyancy
is higher than its own weight. A ship weighing 100 tons floats when it displaces
more than 100 tons of water. This is where
the Archimedes' principle applies. Since the cargo of the ship
pushes it even deeper into the water, the maximum carrying capacity
is of crucial importance. The "Kendra Oldendorff"
has a draft of 14 meters. The maximum of other giants of the seas
is 23 meters. The "Kendra Oldendorff"
is designed to carry bulk goods: raw materials such as ores,
steel and grain. Propulsion is provided
by a new 8,000 horsepower engine that runs on heavy fuel oil, the cheapest fossil energy there is, but also,
the absolutely worst for the environment. So-called "scrubbers" pull the sulfur
oxides from the exhaust fumes. But often these filters
are only switched on near the coast. At high sea,
these ships still run on heavy oil. Today, however,
the allowed emission levels have also been substantially reduced
on the high seas. After ten months of construction,
almost everything is finished. Except for one final and crucial step. Once the ship is ready,
we will do a sea trial in the ocean. When the sea trial is completed,
we'll deliver the ship. [narrator] During its service life, the ship will transport
millions of tons around the globe on the main arteries
of international shipping that connect the equatorial corridor
of North America with the increasingly important
Asian-Pacific region, which, in turn, is connected with Europe. Globally,
more than 90,000 container ships, tankers, tugboats, ferries
and cruise ships are on the world's oceans
at any given moment. And the logistics backing all this up
are becoming more and more complex. Ever since globalization started, ports have been transforming
into huge hi-tech transshipping centers. Like here in Rotterdam, Europe's largest and most important port. The first port of the city
was built in the 14th century. It was near the city center
in those days. But they ran out of space
about a hundred years ago. Today, the latest port section is located
40 kilometers outside the city. It's home to the most modern
container terminal in the world. Made for ships like the "Moscow Maersk" with 18,000 containers on board: enough to cover
more than over 130 football fields. Port 20. [narrator] After two weeks
on the high seas, Captain Jens-Christian Kehlet Schou
and his crew arrive at their destination on time. And the clock is running. Within 24 hours, almost 4,000 containers
need to be unloaded. Efficiency is immensely important, especially in the container business, because about 90 percent
of all globally traded goods move around the globe in this fashion. On board the container ship, First Officer Jeffrey Julius Braganza is monitoring the ship's balance
while the unloading is going on. [Braganza] We take seawater from outside
into the tanks of our ship. So if they load too much cargo
on one side of the ship, we can balance it
with seawater from the sea. [narrator] While the crew and sensors analyze the balance situation
of the cargo, cameras on land monitor the entire
loading and unloading process. You will find almost no people here. Nearly everything is remote-controlled. The crane operators
sit far away from the docks at the command center. The port cranes weigh 1,700 tons and are the biggest in the world. The crane operators
switch between them by pushing a button. Tam, can you read me? [male voice over the radio]
Yes, we're here. We're almost done with the gondolas. [male voice over the radio]
Okay. The cargo is on its way to you. [narrator] Every year,
about 2.7 million containers can be transshipped here in Rotterdam. Automation makes it possible. [funky electronic music plays] Remote-controlled transporters, the so-called
"automated guided vehicles," take every container
to its next destination. No drivers, from ship to shore and back. The vehicular battery charge
lasts for eight hours, and even the recharging process
is completely automated. Which means
they are operational for 24 hours day, 365 days a year without a single human being involved. For Terminal Director Jan Buijze, automation is the only way. Competition between ports
is becoming increasingly fierce. The big advantage is, of course, when it is robotized,
it doesn't make an error like you have when there is
human intervention involved. Also, as a terminal you compete with surrounding terminals. So that's a major item, that we can actually reduce our costs. In the end, what we would like to achieve is that we, at a minimum,
keep our costs flat. [̌narrator]
Further optimization is planned to increase the terminal's efficiency
even further. The owners hope this will offset
the annual rate of inflation. The business is run
in a climate-neutral manner. One hundred percent
of electricity used here is generated from renewable energy. In the meantime, the "Moscow Maersk" has almost been completely loaded. Time for the first officer
to recheck the load. Every container needs to be secured, so it can withstand waves
several meters high in choppy weather. Because no matter how big such a ship is, there are forces
that can render it powerless. On board, there's a wise saying
that still holds true: "At sea, you're in God's hands." [male voice] To navigate a big ship
like this is a challenge in itself. It takes time to speed up.
It takes time to slow down. it takes maneuvering space,
because it is so big. So everything we do out here,
when we are navigating on the seas, we need to do well in advance.
We need to have a plan. [narrator] Especially
when you're in a tight spot, like in the numerous manmade sea lanes. The most important among them:
the Suez Canal. Every year, about half a billion tons
of cargo is carried from the Far East to Europe by ship. The Suez Canal is their shortcut. This bottleneck connects the Indian Ocean with the European Mediterranean, and shortens the sea voyage
between Asia and Europe by at least a week. The ocean giants
don't have to go through any locks, since the water levels
of the Mediterranean or the Red Sea are almost the same. While in the past, ships had to sail
around the entire landmass of Africa, today, they take the 163-kilometer route
through the Suez Canal. Straight through Egypt. Passing the canal is possible
only once a day and only in a convoy. And with plenty of distance
between ships. Since its expansion in 2015, the canal is navigable in both directions along extensive stretches of the route. In the port of Ismailia,
the Suez Canal Authority monitors every individual ship
on its way through the bottleneck. Only perfectly coordinated shipping allows them to pilot
about 50 ships daily through the canal in both directions. That's about 14 percent of global
merchandise on board these ships. The shipping companies pay by weight,
on average, 250,000 dollars per passage. Captain Ahmed Khalil runs the department. He's responsible for a lot of money. The ships passing through the Suez Canal
don't pay a single fixed price. The fare is set according to each ship and is determined
according to the type of ship, its load, whether it's loaded or not, its draft... Not all ships cost the same. [narrator] Ship pilots
are mandatory in the Suez Canal. Two specially trained experts per vessel ensure that the ships arrive
at their destination without any damage. It doesn't matter if it's a cruise,
battle or container ship. Since 1888,
the Convention of Constantinople has stipulated
that the Suez Canal must be open to all ships from all nations
at the same conditions. Accidents in the Suez Canal are rare. But if they do happen,
the consequences are dire. If something goes wrong
with the engine here, you wouldn't have enough pressure
on the rudders. You can't steer anymore. And if you can't steer anymore,
then you won't have much space here. Then we will move in the direction
the wind tells us to go. So what happens next? The ship turns into the wind,
and we drift crossways into the canal. And then we have a problem. [narrator] In 2004, a tanker had a propulsion issue and got stuck crossways in the canal. The shipping lane was blocked for days. The result: millions of dollars of loss
for the canal authorities and the shipping companies. How traveling on the high seas
has developed here in the Mediterranean can be demonstrated by taking a look
at the shipwrecks found at the bottom of the sea. Neanderthals ventured out
into the open sea in dugouts about 170,000 years ago. That's what tool finds suggest. Then about 3500 B.C., the Egyptians
invented the sail for ships. And with its help, traveled around
the eastern region of the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians then succeeded
in sailing far beyond the Mediterranean around 1000 B.C. At the end of the 6th century
before Christ, they traveled as far as the Tin Islands
off the coast of Great Britain. Around 800 A.D., the Vikings learned how to use
the sun's position in the sky and created a sun compass
for celestial navigation. This is how the Vikings managed
to cross the Atlantic and reached Newfoundland
off the coast of North America by 1000 A.D. Then the 15th century
saw the next revolution in seafaring. Spaniards and Portuguese
sailed on the trade wind, navigating along the latitudes. This is how Vasco da Gama
found the sea route to India. In the 18th century, the exact measurement of time
allowed sailors to determine longitudes. And in 1819, they crossed the Atlantic
on the first steamer: the "Savannah." And then, in the 1960s, the first container ship went to sea. The beginning of globalized trade. Today, specialty ships like this tugboat tow incredible loads across the seas and still have
navigational technology on board that dates back hundreds of years. Because what happens
if electronic navigation fails? This is an emergency
which Captain Kees Pronk trains for with his cadets. Nowadays, technology means
that you have a very accurate position. But it can always happen
that something is wrong with it. Then we need to rely on an old system, like the sailors used to do
in the old days. [narrator] To this day,
the captain and the crew rely on the sextant in an emergency. It revolutionized the determination
of positions on the high seas at the beginning of the 18th century and made it possible
for legends like James Cook to go on spectacular exploratory travels. Its most important elements: the graduated arc,
several mirrors and a telescope. Cadets use the sextant to measure the angle between the horizon
and celestial bodies. Simultaneously,
they note down the exact time at which they took the measurement and then compute the difference between the observed
and the calculated position of the star. This is how they can determine
their current position. The cadets have to repeat
this entire procedure several times in a row. If there is cloud cover,
a sextant is of no use. The only thing they can do then is to continue on their voyage by compass and measure again with the sextant at the next opportunity. Unpredictable weather and giant waves remain the biggest dangers
in maritime shipping. Every year, many containers are lost
on the world's oceans. Like in 2011: The cargo ship "Rena" ran aground off the coast of New Zealand. It not only lost oil from its tanks, but also several hundred containers. Modern ships
rarely ever capsize and sink. But how can it happen at all? There are two counteracting forces
working on a ship: the buoyancy of the water
and the weight of the ship. Both forces converge on a single point. In container ships,
cruise ships or ferries, the center of gravity normally sits
above the center of buoyancy. That makes a ship dimensionally stable. If, on account of the load, the center of gravity is too high
above the center of buoyancy, things become dangerous. Should the ship tilt
due to a powerful wave, there is a point
where it can't upright itself again and capsizes. Even today, hurricanes
that suddenly change directions can be the doom of any ship. Running aground
is often the result of human error. As was the case in 2012, when the "Costa Concordia" disaster
ended the life of 32 people. And then there are the monster waves, which can be up to 30 meters high. Long considered a myth,
the proof was filmed from an oil drilling rig
in the North Sea at the end of the '90s. [ominous music plays] [narrator] In 2001,
the luxury liner "Bremen" encountered a 35-meter wave. The ship was dead in the water, unable to maneuver for 30 minutes before the crew managed to activate
the auxiliary diesel engine. A very close call. But time and again,
ships vanish without a trace. Experts assume
that monster waves are to blame. The so-called "Northwest Passage"
spelled the end for many sailors. They often have to sail long routes
to reach ice-free water. The Northwest Passage through the
Artic Sea between Canada and Greenland would be a shortcut. But it's iced over. Now, in times of global warming,
the ice is melting, and it has become
more common for the passage to be sailable in the summer months. To keep the icy routes free for passage: That is the mission of special ships. Just like here, in the Gulf of Bothnia, the northern extension of the Baltic Sea
between Sweden and Finland, where in harsh winters the ice masses can stack
up to one meter, even at sea. That's when icebreakers
such as the "Polaris" come into play. It comes to rescue
when other ships get stuck in the ice and cannot move ahead
under their own power. This special ship
patrols the northern Baltic Sea region throughout the entire year. The crew is part
of the Finnish Traffic Department and operates as a kind
of emergency rescue service for ships. The channels are regularly checked and kept open by the "Polaris." It can break through ice sheets
up to 1.5 meters thickness. But your naked eye
won't be able to tell you how thick the ice is. Our most important piece of equipment
is our radar. The radar image shows you
the shape of the ice. If we're heading towards packed ice,
icebergs or ice walls, this helps us to go around them. Plus, we also have
an electronic sea chart. [narrator] The radar
emits electromagnetic waves at a 360-degree angle. With the help of their echoes, the crew determines position,
distance and composition of the ice. Not unlike the echo navigation of bats. The "Polaris" is called to a mission. A ship, the "Alaskaborg," is stuck in the vastness of the ice
and is in need of assistance. Any kind of delay in cargo shipping
costs time and money. But there's also
another more important reason. [speaking Finnish] [narrator] The ice is dangerous. When ice sheets
move and push against the ship, this high pressure
can seriously damage the ship. [narrator] The ice is always moving. It's unpredictable and can suddenly
shoot up along the hull of a ship. It can do serious damage,
even to a modern steel ship. And even sink it. The "Alaskaborg" is en route
from Finland to Asia. Her cargo: turbines, generators and 30,000 tons of steel alloy. [suspenseful music plays] Turn now and reduce power from the rear. [narrator] The icebreaker
has to free the cargo ship. The crew of the "Polaris" tries
to crack up the surrounding ice sheets. "Alaskaborg": "Polaris." [over the radio] "Alaskaborg." -Half speed ahead. Right now, please.
-[over the radio] Okay. [narrator] They succeed. The team of the icebreaker
can free up the "Alaskaborg" and escorts the ship
all the way to its destination. This service is already included in the waterway fee shipping companies must pay to berth in Finnish ports. The "Polaris" accompanies the cargo ship to the coastal city of Tornio
in the north of the Gulf of Bothnia. Without the powerful engines
of the icebreaker an almost impossible task. Sailing in a convoy
requires the men at the helm to have a very sensitive touch. Because the "Alaskaborg" needs to follow
the "Polaris" as closely as possible, but without bumping into it. The "Polaris" is protected rather well
against such collisions thanks to reinforcements of the stern. The stopping distance
of ships like the "Alaskaborg" is two kilometers. Thus, rear-end collisions
are not rare in these maneuvers. Mission accomplished. The "Polaris" is expected to run missions
for another two decades, helping thousands more ships
navigate through the ice. As ships go,
the "Polaris" is considered exotic. A specialty vessel that often
has to take on rather extraordinary jobs. They roam the seven seas. Transporting this gigantic
gas drilling platform, for example. All this is possible thanks to the most powerful
semi-submersible ship in the world. To begin with, its loading area
lies 16 meters below the waterline. As soon as the tug
has put the platform into position, the semi-submersible pumps the ballast water out of its tanks and lifts itself up
together with its huge load. The biggest transport ship
of this kind in the world can lift up to 117,000 tons. Or to put it another way: Theoretically, you could stack up
422 Airbus A380s on its loading area... and you would end up at almost
11,000 meters above ground: the cruising altitude
of commercial airliners. But for some cargo,
even this amount of power won't do. Then it's time to call in
the "ALP Striker," the most powerful
high sea tug in the world. The mission: to take this oil rig to the other end of the world. The "West Bollsta," one of the biggest and most modern
oil drilling rigs worldwide. It measures 123 meters long,
78 meters wide and, when empty, weighs 1,000 tons. [majestic music plays] [narrator] It is still anchored
off the coast of Asia. Or to be more precise:
at Busan in South Korea. It is set to sail
across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, with a short stopover
in Walvis Bay in Namibia. All the way to its temporary new home:
the Canary Islands. A transport job of the highest order. At the helm:
the Captain of the "ALP Striker," Kees Pronk. [maritime chatter] I've heard the costs of the drilling rig.
It's quite high. But you don't think that much about it, because if you start thinking about that,
you can get quite nervous. [narrator] The cargo that the "ALP
Striker" is tugging through the ocean is worth a half a billion euros. The first step in the transport process: to hitch up the 31,000 tons of freight secured with steel cables,
chains and solid bolts. There is one thing
that absolutely cannot happen: that the towlines snap at high sea. It's mainly these steel chains, weighing four tons each, that the drilling rig is attached to
during the entire transport. The team hooks up one of each
onto the pontoons of the "West Bollsta" and connects them with the main towline of the "ALP Striker." This three-point connection
ensures sufficient stability. After six hours of preparation, the "ALP Striker"
sails off with its heavy load. At a speed of five knots,
around ten kilometers per hour. Such transports across the world's oceans
are extremely rare. And, of course, a challenge for the crew. On the high seas, the distance
between the "ALP Striker" and its load is almost two kilometers. In the past, the crew had to send off
a manned dinghy for every check. A pretty risky task in rough seas. These days, a drone does the job and checks if the towlines
are in danger of coming loose. However, a collision with another ship
or running aground would be an even worse scenario. To prevent exactly that from happening, a modern ship like the "ALP Striker" has special
electronic assistance available. In particular, the Electronic Chart
Display and Information System: ECDIS, for short. Its heart is the electronic sea charts
that take all relevant data into account. Even the registry of beacons
on the world's oceans. [Pronk] We can monitor continuously. We can see water depths, the speed, where we are on the chart. We can also make our route over there, so we can just follow the routes and know where we have to sail. [narrator] It also includes
radar and sonar data. In order to guarantee
a maximum of safety at high sea, two independent systems
run in parallel on each ship. On its way to Norway,
the destination of the drilling rig, the "ALP Striker"
will encounter numerous other ships. The Seven Seas are a busy place. About 90,000 ships sail the oceans. Tankers, bulk cargo and container ships, ferries or cruise ships. Every year, just short of 1,500 new ships
are launched globally. Far more than are scrapped. These ocean giants reach, on average, the age of 29
before they sail into their final port. Like this ship graveyard in Pakistan. Near the Pakistani coastal city
of Gadani, around 130 scrapyards wait for old,
decommissioned ocean giants. Every year, more than 800 big ships
are scrapped worldwide. This is a huge mountain
of scrapped ships. If you do the math, this amounts to about
60,400 ships since the '60s. Enough to fill the city limits of Berlin. It's the end of the road
for this ship, too. The "Oceana,"
an oil tanker from South Korea. For 23 years, this ship carried hundreds
of thousands of tons of crude oil across the world's oceans. Now, it's time for retirement. Foreman and engineer Ali
bears the responsibility for cutting the 10,000 ton ship
into pieces. This is about three months' work for approximately 50 people. First, we cut a large opening
into the bow. This gives us the space to roll big tools,
cranes or vehicles into the ship. [narrator] Today, the tip of the bow
is supposed to come off and give access to the ship's hull. Sixty-five percent of all ships
to be scrapped end up in South Asia. The purchase price
is based on the empty weight. In the case of the "Oceana," this amounts to 365 euros per ton, a price tag of 3.6 million euros
for this decommissioned tanker. But the scrapping is a dirty business
in many respects. For years, Pakistan was among
the ten countries with the toughest
work conditions worldwide. In the meantime, basic safety rules
have been introduced into the shipyards. On warning signs at least. Still, the wrecks are dangerous. Welders often are exposed to toxic fumes or asbestos dust. Fatal accidents are a regular occurrence, through gas explosions
or from falling parts. Foreman Ali
is paid about 280 euros per month. That's 100 euros more
than the average wage in his country. [Ali] I work here,
because this is the only work I know. I started when I was only a kid, and today,
I've worked my way up to engineer. I'm paid well and have good healthcare. This is a good profession. And so far,
nothing bad has happened to me. [narrator]
Scrapping is a lucrative business, especially for the shipyard operators. The painstaking work
of dismantling the ships allows them to sell
even the smallest parts. However, the thing that sells best is steel. And the ocean giants
are made of 95 percent steel. And this steel gets recycled back into Pakistan's national steel industry
in large parts. Every day, trucks transport
more than 200 tons of material out of the shipyard
to the nearest city for processing. Next up: the bow of the "Oceana." The incoming tide has foreman Ali
and his workers in a hurry. If the tide is too high,
the men can't use their flame cutters or pull the separated pieces
out of the water. The job needs to be done
inside 30 minutes. Success. Winches hoist the nose of this ocean giant onto the beach. Foreman Ali is pleased with the result. I hope the industry is doing well,
because then we have work. If business in the industry is slow,
then that is bad for us, too. In any case, we do our best
to keep this industry moving forward. [narrator] The so-called
"Hong Kong Convention" is supposed to make scrapping of ships
more environmentally friendly and improve work conditions. But it is not binding yet. Too few countries
have ratified the convention. The scrapping business is still thriving. And here is another reason why: The giants of the sea
are under criticism. Currently, the world's fleet uses up to 370 million tons
of fuel per year. Many of the gigantic ships
burn heavy fuel oil on the high seas. It's only in designated zones
where they must switch to ships' diesel; near ports, for example. Emission standards
are becoming stricter at sea. But critics demand stopping the use
of heavy fuel oil completely. A transition to natural energies
is being called for. Like on this ferry. A 24-meter-high cylinder
supports the ferry's propulsion system. It's a kind of rotating sail that helps cut down
the CO2 emissions dramatically. The idea is not exactly brand new. The so-called "Flettner rotor"
was used for the first time in 1924. The verdict then, however, was: Too much effort
and too little efficiency. In the meantime, however, in times of climate change,
the invention has seen a comeback. A 20 percent reduction
in CO2 emissions is possible thanks to the so-called "Magnus effect." As soon as the on-board sensors
register enough wind, a motor starts to rotate the cylinder. This rotation accelerates the airflow
on the one side into the direction of the rotation, while it slows down the airflow
on the other side. This results in an air pressure drop. Or to put it differently: Lift is generated
that drives the ship forward. Tuomas Riski has set himself the goal to equip up to 20,000 ships with this
technology in the next few years. We are extremely proud of the result. With external analysis partners, we have proven that we are saving more than 250 tons of fuel per year. [narrator] The more cylinders,
the more efficient the system. The rotor sail can be installed
on virtually any ship that offers enough space on deck. Many shipping companies, however,
shy away from the additional cost. But in spite of that,
there are already new ships being built that use this technology. The power of the wind,
a propulsion used for thousands of years to cross the oceans,
is being rediscovered. This future of propulsion
in sea shipping is playing out on a catamaran
like no other on the planet: the "Energy Observer." Fitted with solar panels,
wind rotors and a fuel cell. Here, the ship is anchored
off the coast of Norway. A six-year research trip took the crew of the catamaran
around the entire world. Engineer Hugo Deveudeux
is checking, as he does every day, the heart of the ship: the hydrogen cell. [Deveudeux] What we do is
we produce our own hydrogen from water from the sea
that we desalt and demineralize. We have an electrolyzer, so something that breaks
the H2O molecule in H2 and O2. The O2 we let go out the vent. We produce O2,
and we keep H2, the hydrogen. We compress it and store it
in the big tanks you see outside. [narrator] The eight hydrogen tanks supply the ship
with two megawatt hours of energy: enough to run the catamaran
for eight hours only on hydrogen. But there is rarely a need for this. Because the ship uses additional
wind energy to charge its batteries and to supply both their electric motors. [Deveudeux] It's starting to be
advantageous to use the two wings. So we are erecting them for us to recover this energy
from the wind and have a better mix for today. [narrator] On top of everything else, 142 solar panels support the motors. All of them as light as possible, perfectly fitted to the surface shape and still sturdy enough
so that you can walk on them. The panels absorb the sunlight from above as well as sunlight
reflected off the water. Captain Marin Jarry has been traveling the ocean
for many years. He used to be on merchant ships. Today, he feels the calling
of a very special mission. A journey around the world
without using any fossil fuels, but with the latest technologies. We use only renewable energy and hydrogen. Every port we stop at,
we show people how it works. We show them the ship and that these solutions
are available for a clean future. [narrator] But what to do
if Mother Nature has a bad day? No sunlight to feed the solar panels, not even a breeze of wind, and the batteries are running low. Now, engineer Hugo needs to activate the fuel cells
in the energy management system: the ship's brain. The ship can continue its journey
without any polluting emissions. [Deveudeux] For me,
that's the next-level ship, let's say. It will start with small boats, and after that
it will go to passenger boats. And perhaps after that
to bigger boats like tankers. [narrator] On another positive note,
it's possible that ocean wings, the sails of the catamaran,
are soon to be used in larger ships. A sea change in thinking has begun. Due to high emissions issues,
ports like Hamburg have started to work on methods
to keep the air clean, because heavy oil
and ships' diesel pollute cities. A first solution: shore power. Ships can switch off their engines
and draw energy from a power outlet. However, there are only a few ports
on the planet that offer shore power. And the demand is low, since this form of power supply is still many times more expensive
than just keeping the engines running. It may be true that heavy oil
is already banned in many ports and coastal regions, but in the long run,
the giants of the sea have to rethink their propulsion concept
from square one. Cruise ships are under
particularly heavy criticism. This form of vacation
is very trendy right now. As a consequence, however,
emissions increase as well. A first attempt at a solution: LNG, liquefied natural gas. The "Coral Methane": a bunker ship refueling one of the world's
most modern cruise ships anchored here in Barcelona. It's the first of its kind that travels
the Seven Seas on liquefied gas. However, there's a problem: LNG is more expensive than heavy oil,
and refueling is tricky. Natural gas needs to be cooled down
to minus 162 degrees Celsius before it liquefies and its volume is reduced to 1/600th. Daniel Henning and his team monitor the refueling operation
on board the cruise ship. Yeah, so in a few minutes,
I will close my tank number two. [narrator] A fill-up
with 900 tons of liquid natural gas gives the gigantic cruise ship
enough power for two weeks of traveling. First, the LNG evaporates and then flows through the yellow lines
to the four engines. The colossal 800-ton engines
form two independent circuits. Should one fail, the other can supply
the ship with electric power. In case of an emergency, the ship can switch over
to ships' diesel, thus ensuring
a smooth operation on board. Engines that run on LNG reduce nitric oxide emissions
by up to 80 percent and CO2 emissions by up to 20 percent. And there are zero
particle or sulfur oxide emissions. -[male voice over radio] Go ahead.
-Tank two is closed. Yes, Chief just called.
Fuel is in the bunkers. They're warming up the hose,
and they'll take it off. [narrator] The captain
gives the command to undock. LNG is still a fossil fuel, even if it has advantages
for the climate. But, and that is the hope, not for long. LNG is a key technology, because we hope that someday,
we'll be able to produce synthetic LNG. And that would be the next step from
low-emission to zero-emission cruises and, of course, shipping in general. [narrator] LNG, liquefied natural gas, could be a solution
for an environmentally-friendly future of maritime tourism. Because saying goodbye
to this kind of vacation is something cruise ship aficionados
are not willing to do. The ships are like swimming hotels. The biggest of them
can hold more than 6,000 passengers. To cater for all of them
around the clock, some ships have a crew of more than 2,000 who work behind the scenes
in 24/7 shifts. First thing in the morning, while the guests
are still enjoying their breakfast, the preparations for the next meals are already in high gear
two decks below them. Be it desserts or tarts or entire
three-course meals for every taste, the guests shall want for nothing. That's why many cruise ships
have several restaurants. These are tough jobs. As is quite common
in the cruise ship business, you'll find many Asians working on board. They make significantly more money here
than back home. But they are often contracted through intermediary employment agencies. And that makes it legal to pay them significantly less
than the German minimum wage. Satisfying hungry cruise guests
requires plenty of supplies. This is the responsibility
of First Purser Peter Schwichtenberg. Every day, he checks the storage pantries where 1,800 articles of food are stocked. No matter where we are,
Southeast Asia, America, the Caribbean... 90 percent of our supplies
come from Germany, because of the quality
and the quantity we need. The remaining ten percent is everything
that wouldn't last a week in a container, like fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs. This produce is delivered
by local suppliers. [narrator]
The groceries must be impeccable and meet the standards
of the US Health Department: the strictest anywhere in the world. But the thousands of passengers on board
are not only hungry. Entertaining them and catering
to their needs is a huge task. It starts with the small things. Every day,
guests drop thousands of used towels into the laundry
that end up on deck zero. Thirteen tons of laundry daily. Only a gigantic washing machine
can tackle that job. "The Beast" is what the crew calls it. Fifty kilograms of laundry
go through 12 wash cycles in two minutes. Shifts go from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The passengers, of course, are blissfully
unaware of these logistical processes. All they have to do
is just enjoy their vacation at sea. Shipping. Where is it headed? The giants of the sea are getting bigger,
the oceans more crowded. A rethinking is underway. Pioneers are developing new, environmentally-friendly
propulsion systems. Vast terminals
operating mostly autonomously. Shipping in the 21st century. A logistical and technical masterpiece.
