What cruise lines are doing to minimize their negative impact on the environment?
CLIA says 76% of global cruise ships capacity currently use exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as scrubbers, which meet or exceed air emissions requirements. There is also growing use of LNG, which cuts CO2 emissions by about 25%, and contains little sulphur and nitrogen oxide.
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Many cruise lines are now trying to make their crew and passengers be more environmentally focused and encourage them to:
Recycle glass, cans, and paper.
Reuse bed linens and towels.
Adopt greener approach to their life aboard the ship.
1. The Norwegian company Hurtigruten. Among the most environmentally sustainable ships are certainly the ships of the Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten. The company has already eliminated heavy fuel oil (HFO) for more than a decade and uses alternative and greener fuels such as marine diesel oil and biofuels.
The most polluting cruise ships operator was MSC Cruises – whose cruise ships emitted nearly as much SOx as all the passenger vehicles in Europe. Accounting for all of its subsidiaries, the Carnival group polluted the most. Many cruise operators like MSC are investing in fossil gas (LNG) as a cleaner alternative.
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.
Port pollution: Cruise ships generate plastic waste not only while at sea but also while in port. This can contribute to plastic pollution in the surrounding waters and on nearby beaches.
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.
Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are currently not being sent to ports where shoreside power is offered. However, all of Disney's ships burn fuel with a 0.1% sulfur content worldwide which is lower than what is required internationally, earning the company an A- in the air pollution reduction category.
Pursuing Net Zero Committed to pursuing net zero GHG emissions by 2050 across our operations and value chain. Reducing Carbon Intensity Achieved a 25% reduction in fuel consumption per capacity day fleetwide from 2008 to 2019. Investing in Shore Power ~40% of the NCL fleet has shore power capabilities.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans took cruise vacations every year. Yet, most travelers didn't realize that taking a cruise is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel.
A medium-sized cruise ship spews greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 12,000 cars, while environmentalists accuse big industry players of investing little in decarbonization, and of covering up endless delay tactics in a heavy coat of greenwash.