Lindblad's new eco-cleaner has 'halved guest illness'

Lindblad operates National Geographic’s fleet as well as Lord of the Glens in Scotland, the Sea Cloud yacht in the Caribbean and Mediterranean and river vessels in Egypt, the Amazon, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The new system, ACT CleanCoat, is created by the electrolysis of salt and water, and can be used to clean all interior surfaces. It breaks down bacteria when illuminated – a process called photocatalysis.

“We reduced guest reported illness by 50%, eliminated over 1,000 plastic bottles of cleaning products and dramatically reduced water usage by 1.1 million gallons per year,” said Bruce Tschampel, Lindblad’s vice-president, hotel operations.

Other benefits include purified and deodorised air “for up to one year”.

The fleet-wide introduction of the new system following its trial is the latest in a series of initiatives by Lindblad. Others include the elimination of guest-facing single-use plastic and a sustainable seafood menu.

Last year, the company began offsetting all its emissions from ship and land-based operations.