Do ships pollute more than cars?

Cruise ships were responsible for more than four times the sulphuric emissions into Europe's atmosphere than all of the continent's car last year, according to a new report. This comes despite repeated pledges by the industry to move towards a greener model of operating.



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One large container ship at sea emits the same amount of sulphur oxide gases as 50 million diesel-burning cars.”

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A June study from sustainable transport campaigner The European Federation for Transport and Environment found that 63 cruise ships owned by parent company Carnival Corporation emitted 43% more sulfur oxides, a group of harmful air pollutants, than all the 291 million cars in Europe in 2022.

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Cruise ships emit more carbon per passenger kilometre than flying, even considering the extra damage that emissions cause at high altitude. It's thought that the Queen Mary II emits 0.43kg of CO2 per passenger mile – that's even worse than the 0.257kg for a long-haul flight.

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Cruise ships, huge compared to other vessels, end up burning more heavy fuel oil, one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the market. This oil contains dangerous levels of sulfur and heavy metals etc. It is estimated that cruise ships use, on average, 150 tons of heavy fuel oil every day.

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In fact, unless you're looking to venture from Los Altos to LA off-road through state parks the whole way—in a Hummer with Tonka-truck mud tires—driving is generally greener than flying.

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If we take an overall view of the transport sector, 71% of transportation related carbon emissions come from road users, whereas only 1.8% of emissions stem from rail travel. So in absolute terms, trains are responsible for a lot less emissions than cars.

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During a typical one-week voyage, a large cruise ship (with 3,000 passengers and crew) is estimated to generate 210,000 US gallons (790,000 L) of sewage; 1 million US gallons (3,800 m3) of graywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundries); more than 130 US gallons (490 L) of hazardous wastes; 8 tons of solid ...

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Using the associated calculated climate factor of 2.1 (for a 2,000-3,000 passenger ship), we estimate that one individual on a 7-day cruise will have a carbon footprint of 300kg per day if that individual stays in a standard double-occupancy cabin.

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Taking the train or ferry works out to be around seven times less polluting than travelling by plane, according to various estimates. Travelling by train is slightly greener than taking the ferry, in terms of emissions.

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Do Cruise Ships Dump Sewage? Yes. To get into a few more specifics than above, the U.S. allows cruise ships to dump treated waste into the ocean if they are within three and a half miles from shore. Beyond that point, there are no restrictions for dumping untreated, raw sewage in U.S. ocean waters.

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Trains. Besides walking and biking, traveling by train remains one of the greenest and most environment-friendly options when getting around. Regardless if electric or diesel-powered, trains emit between 66 and 75 percent fewer carbon emissions when compared to cars and airplanes.

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