Hornblower's Green Fleet

To honor our commitment to Clean Water, Clean Air and a Clean Future, Hornblower is dedicated to providing the greenest fleet of vessels at every port we operate in. This includes the replacement of old engines with brand new, ultra-efficient engines that comply with the EPA’s Tier 2 clean air standards, the implementation of biodiesel and a carbon offset program for select cruises. Learn what Hornblower is doing on the water to Respect our Planet below.

San Francisco
Alcatraz Clipper, Alcatraz Flyer & California Hornblower

  • Two passenger boats, the Alcatraz Clipper and the Alcatraz Flyer, and one dinner yacht, the California Hornblower, have been refitted with the most fuel-efficient Tier 2 marine engines available.
  • Alcatraz Cruises has refitted two main passenger boats with the most fuel-efficient Tier 2 marine engines available.
  • The Alcatraz Clipper and Alcatraz Flyer use selective catalytic reduction units, which reduce harmful emissions such as Nox, Sox and CO2, making them the greenest diesel-powered ferryboats in the Bay Area.
  • We reduced our annual fuel consumption on the Alcatraz Clipper and Alcatraz Flyer by 235,292 gallons, the equivalent to taking 450 cars off the road and planting 718 acres of trees. Over the course of 10 years, we will save approximately 2 million gallons of fuel!
  • The Alcatraz Clipper and Alcatraz Flyer engines are not only cleaner, but both vessels contain other green modifications that support our ongoing efforts to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, such as:
    • Vinyl seat covers made from recycled content
    • Carpeting made from recycled content
    • Environmentally friendly paints on the interior and exterior of both vessels that reduce the amount of chemicals, or VOC’s
    • Both the Alcatraz Clipper and Alcatraz Flyer are vessels with a long history of offering ferry service on the San Francisco Bay

San Diego
High Spirits & The Lord Hornblower

  • Hornblower in San Diego has refitted two main passenger boats used for sightseeing, whale watching, dinner and brunch cruises with the most fuel-efficient Tier 2 marine engines available.

Greater Los Angeles
Newport Beach & Marina Del Rey Carbon Offsets

  • Hornblower is proud to offer the ability to offset all of the CO2 emissions generated during our charter cruises. With Hornblower, our guests can enjoy the cruise industry’s first carbon-neutral cruise.
  • When booking a cruise with Hornblower, our guests have the option to offset their cruise as an individual or as a group. If an offset is chosen, we will purchase CO2 credits on our guests behalf through our partner, one of America's leading suppliers of renewable energy credits, Carbonfund.org. The amount of CO2 credits we purchase will completely offset all of the emissions generated on the cruise or special event. At the end of the cruise, our guests receive a certificate from Renewable Choice Energy thanking them for their commitment to the environment.

** Offsetting a cruise costs $0.45 – $2.23 an hour; depending on vessel. Hornblower does NOT charge any administrative fee for providing this added service to our customers.

New York Harbor
Statue Cruises

  • Statue Cruises is leading the way for vessel refits on the East Coast. All seven passenger vessels, taking guests to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, will be refitted with the most fuel-efficient Tier 2 marine engines available.
  • Beginning in August 2009, the Statue Cruises team will refit all passenger vessels with engines with ACERT™ Technology that meet today's stringent emissions reduction standards.
  • When finished in 2010, Statue Cruises will be the greenest vessel fleet in the New York Harbor!

Hornblower Hybrid Showcase

Alternative Energy

Similar to popular hybrid vehicles, this vessel uses power generated by wind, solar and electricity with some fuel, but far less than other boats. By testing these technologies on this boat, we'll learn how to replicate them on bigger vessels that use larger amounts of fuel.

Converting Resources

This vessel's wind turbines and solar panels generate direct current power (DC), most of which is inverted to create alternating current power (AC). Additional AC power is supplied by state-of-the-art diesel generators and clean, local energy from the utility grid.

Using Power

The direct current (DC) is used to power the navigational equipment and small LED lighting (Light Emitting Diodes), while the alternating current (AC) is used for low power LED lighting, monitors and the electric motors that propel the boat.