Why are cruise ships a problem?

Cruise ships are a catastrophe for the environment — and that's not an overstatement. They dump toxic waste into our waters, fill the planet with carbon dioxide, and kill marine wildlife. Cruise ships' environmental impact is never ending, and they continue to get bigger. They once were small ships, around 30,000 tons.



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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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Some of the environmental challenges that cruise lines need to address are air pollution from heavy oil, wastewater discharge issues, habitat disruption, and overtourism. The 'elephant in the room' is that cruise lines are currently using heavy oil – also known as the dirtiest of the dirty oils.

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Cruise ships directly contribute to global warming too, though. Carbon dioxide emissions from cruise ships visiting European ports in 2022 were the equivalent of emissions from 50,000 flights between Paris and New-York, according to the study — nearly a 17% increase from 2019.

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Cruise ships release large amounts of harmful gas emissions, contributing significantly to air pollution and global warming. Air pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulfur from cruise ships pollute the air and contribute to respiratory problems.

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Augment this with no dumping solid waste at sea, (e.g. ground glass, cardboard and packing material, plastic), no discharges of hazardous chemicals or materials of unknown environmental impact (e.g., incinerator ash, sludge from smokestack scrubbers), and on all cruise ships have independent human monitors to observe ...

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Are cruise ships worse than cargo ships? This reveals how disproportionately bad for the environment cruise ships are, releasing the highest amount of black carbon per ship of any vessel. Container ships, on the other hand, produce around a third of the black carbon per ship, at only 3.5 tonnes.

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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.

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Cruise ships, like any large public space, vary in cleanliness. However, it's important to note that cruise ships are subject to stringent sanitation standards that are regularly monitored and enforced.

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While cruise ships account for only a small proportion of global shipping, they have a disproportionate impact on air quality, habitats and the climate. Cruise ships require more fuel due to the energy demand of the hotels and leisure facilities provided onboard as well as propelling the ships through the water.

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A large cruise ship, on average, uses as much as 250 tons every day, which is more than 80,000 gallons, much more than most people will use in their lifetime. Smaller cruise ships may have a little less fuel usage, at around 150 tons per day, which is still a significant amount.

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In addition to sulphur oxides, cruise ships emit other dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and PM2. 5 particulate matter.

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The Maritime Injury Guide reports that 19 people go missing from cruise ships yearly. While that may not sound significant, it adds up to 400 people over the last 20 years.

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The bottom line is everyone knows it is safer to fly than it is to drive, and it just so happens that it is safer to cruise than it even is to fly. TravelPulse writer Donald Wood contributed to this report.

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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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