We care about ecology
Prague Boats is one of the leading passenger boat operators in the Czech Republic. We feel a sense of social responsibility for what we do, and we want our business to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. That's why we've been working for years not only on greening the operation of our boats, but also on a number of other nature-friendly projects.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and government restrictions, our boats had to remain moored in port for a long time. That break brought us, like many others, plenty of complications and losses. But it also gave us enough time to think about how we want to keep going. We can therefore see the current crisis as an opportunity to strengthen our sustainable foundations and kick off further changes.
We continue to see the eco-friendly path we set out on long ago as the only way to successfully grow our business. We'd love to set the tone in this area not just in the Czech Republic, but beyond our borders too.
The biggest changes we're making involve the renewal and modernisation of our fleet. Our boats meet the strictest European environmental standards or run directly on a hybrid or fully electric drive.
In the field of battery electrification, we are absolute leaders. Our Bella Bohemia boat, powered by batteries, can run on this drive all day long. And we look forward to welcoming more such boats into our fleet over time.
During the forced shutdown of our boats, we continued to make the existing vessels more eco-friendly. For example, the Hol Ka boat, which runs the P7 ferry between Holešovice, Štvanice and Karlín, was newly fitted with solar panels.
Now and then, sensational articles pop up in the automotive sections of print and online media comparing road and shipping transport. The claim that shipping, especially maritime shipping, is a major polluter and that a handful of the largest container ships emit as much as several hundred million cars has become a journalistic evergreen.
That's only true, however, for sulphur oxides and particulate matter, and only for ships running on heavy fuel oil. Our motor boats run on clean diesel like your personal car, so we're not a source of sulphur emissions.
When it comes to the production of greenhouse gas CO2, the emissions that most affect global climate change, water transport compares very favourably to other modes of transport. The biggest CO2 producers are passenger cars (around 40%), followed by trucks (around 30%). Air and water transport produce just over 10%, and trains around 4%. It's worth noting that river and lake transport represents less than 0.5% of total transport volume.
We can also look at this from the engine output perspective. Our average motor boat has an engine output of 100–150 kW and a transport capacity of about 100 people. By comparison, a Volkswagen Passat 2.0 has a diesel engine output of 140 kW and CO2 emissions of 155 g/km.
We'd gradually like to phase out fossil fuels entirely and switch to clean electric power, or possibly hydrogen propulsion, if that direction proves feasible in road transport.
We feel co-responsible for the environment we live and do business in. That's why we look for other ways to change the world around us for the better. Take a look at the most interesting videos we've made on the topic.
(Data for the article was sourced from https://www.wakestone.cz/clanky/auta-versus-lode-kdo-je-vetsi-spina and dTest magazine 12/2020.)
More eco topics:
- Litter pickups — cleaning up around the Vltava not just after winter, but also after the increased waste produced during the coronavirus epidemic (single-use packaging, masks…).
- You won't find palm oil in our kitchen.
- We continue to compost waste from our kitchens. It's then used as fertiliser for trees and greenery on the Náplavka.
- We support Czech food producers and, where possible, give them preference over imports.
- Tree planting continues. We plant species-diverse forests that will be resilient to pests and climate change. We don't forget the native trees.
- We financially support an environmental organisation and ecological projects related to retaining water in the landscape (restoring meanders, protecting and restoring wetlands, planting trees), and we've set up a fund focused on supporting eco projects related to water retention. We want to influence the negative trend of alternating periods of drought and torrential rain — both negatively affect our business.
- We don't use single-use plastics, and we use only eco-friendly products to wash dishes, clean our premises and for our customers' personal hygiene.
- We love the circular economy, which is why our boats don't end up in scrapyards but, after refurbishment, continue to serve on other waterways. For example, the boats Petra and Pavla are examples of solid Czech shipbuilding craftsmanship and are now over 60 years old. They used to carry hops, coffee, tea or cocoa beans, and even after their active sailing days ended, they're still being put to good use. Today you can find them moored at Rašín Embankment, where they serve as a floating farmers' market and refreshment spot. When we retire any interior fittings, we first offer them for resale and reuse.
