Many cruise lines tout being environmentally friendly, but can cruise ships ever be sustainable?
As the cruise boom continues, the industry’s impact on the natural world will only grow. reached an all-time high360 cruise ships by the end of the year A total of 30 million passengersThis represents a 9.2% increase compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The problem is that the number of cruise ships keeps growing and the size of cruise ships keeps growing,” says Constance Dijkstra, shipping campaigner at the nonprofit Transport and Environment. This will lead to even more pollution of the air and oceans, she adds.
Cruise ship pollution
“We keep warning people: If you’re concerned about the environment, consider a different kind of vacation,” said Marcy Keever, ocean and shipping program director at Friends of the Earth.
But cruising is Flying?
Cruising Cleanup
Port cities are starting to crack down on cruise ships amid growing health and environmental concerns. Venice has banned cruise ships from its historic centerAt the request of the UN cultural agency UNESCO, it restricted cruise ship docks to industrial ports, citing pollution from cruise ships that was damaging historical monuments. Amsterdam and Barcelona It also banned cruise ships from docking in an effort to curb pollution and reduce overtourism.
“The industry has flown under the radar in terms of regulation,” Keever said. “Now we’re seeing communities standing up to cruise ships and saying, ‘We’re polluting the environment and they’re bringing in too many passengers.'”
But arguably the industry’s biggest challenge is the need to switch away from polluting fossil fuels.
“Green cruising requires a change in fuel, which is very difficult,” Dijkstra said. “It’s great that cruise lines are promoting recycling and going plastic-free, but if they continue to use fossil fuels, we’re in trouble.”
“There are limits to how much efficiency measures can be implemented,” Vice Admiral Bill Burke, Carnival Corporation’s chief maritime officer, told the BBC. “We’re in a position where we can probably only achieve 20 to 30 percent reduction in overall emissions.” [through efficiency measures].
“Ultimately, we need new fuels, and the best fuel that’s readily available right now is LNG.”
But some disagree that LNG is a climate solution for cruise ships. “LNG is not a transition fuel,” Keever says. “It shouldn’t even be on the table.”
“Even with methane slip, LNG’s greenhouse gas emissions are better than marine fuel oil,” Burke said. “Right now, LNG is the fuel of choice.”
Transportation and the Environment Note Due to a lack of data, no one knows the exact extent of methane emissions from LNG-fueled ships.
Gas substitution competition
But the cruise industry trade group, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), says alternative fuels such as methanol and ammonia are not a viable option.
“Currently, there are no sustainable alternative fuels available on a large scale. [the cruise industry’s] “The decarbonization ambition is a major step towards achieving our goals,” said Andy Harmer, managing director of CLIA UK and Ireland. “CLIA calls on the government to accelerate the transition by setting more ambitious production targets, particularly for synthetic and biofuels.”
Burke said methanol is a much-discussed fuel, but it’s more expensive. [than LNG and marine fuel] And it’s not readily available. “Today, there is no environmentally friendly methanol,” he adds. Currently, most methanol is produced using natural gas.Not renewable energy,
But other green fuels on offer raise other concerns. Ammonia Highly toxic, corrosive and flammable fuelAmmonia is a hazardous substance, according to the Global Maritime Forum, a Denmark-based nonprofit. “Ammonia is not the best fuel for a cruise ship. We have 8,000 people on board, and a lot of people in the engine room,” Burke said.
Dykstra said many cruise lines have said it’s not safe to use ammonia on board ships with passengers on board, “but other companies are considering the option… for example, DFD Ferries bets on ammonia,” she says.
Keever said it was “feasible” for cruise ships to reduce their use of polluting fuels and switch to greener alternatives produced using renewable energy such as methanol and ammonia rather than fossil fuels.
“Big shipping is already doing it,” Keever said, adding that Maersk, for example, is investing heavily in methanol. The transition to greener fuels “will take time, effort and the will to move away from reliance on fossil fuels,” she added.
Battery power
Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten is turning its attention to a different technology to power its ships: batteries.
“We use the time-honoured technology of sails, but also advanced battery and solar technology,” says Hedda Felin, CEO of the company. “In Norway, we get 24 hours of sunshine in summer and it’s windy along the coast, so this boat is really tailored to the Norwegian coastline.”
Four of Hurtigruten’s nine cruise ships already have hybrid engines that can run on both diesel and batteries.
“Hurtigruten is one of the industry leaders when it comes to the adoption of clean technologies. [greener] “Fuel and advanced sewage treatment systems,” Keever said, “and those are important because you’re going to places like the Arctic.”
But there’s a limit to how far batteries can power a ship. The technology works well for Hurtigruten’s coastal cruises — “we’re never more than six hours away from port,” says Felin — but it’s not a realistic solution for ocean-going cruise ships. “If we were to cross the Atlantic, batteries would never be a consideration,” says Felin.
Cruise lines, which visit climate-sensitive places like the Arctic and take thousands of tourists to remote communities, have a responsibility to operate in a more sustainable way, Ferrin said.
“The cruise industry needs to be more responsible… we are far behind,” she said, adding that cruise lines have been slow to transition to cleaner alternatives.
But Ferrin says there is hope: New technologies and fuels will contribute to a more sustainable future for cruise ships. “There are proven, safe options for the future that will eliminate the need for fossil fuels on cruise ships,” Ferrin says. “That’s the hope for the whole cruise industry.”
Royal Caribbean did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.