Cruise Lines Pinpointed on Pollution Measures

In an environmentally conscious nation, cruise lines are making a concerted effort to appear “green”. Certain measures have been taken by virtually every cruise line, but in the entire scheme of the cruise line pollution question, are they just token measures?

Even in stressed economic times, cruising remains one of the most rapidly growing tourism venues. A total of 200 existing cruise ships, with more on the horizon, now sail the seas around the world; carrying with them over 130 gallons of hazardous waste; 210,000 gallons of sewage, one million of gray water; 11,500 gallons of sewage sludge and 25,000 gallons of bilge water. These figures are estimated based on an average week long cruise.

This waste elimination is joined by the contaminants that are produced from the necessary operation of the cruise ship. Although new mandates requiring the switch to low sulfur diesel fuel have been implemented as of this year, in all years past the cruise ships have been using the dirtiest fuel, which is also the cheapest. Carbon dioxide emissions are two times worse from a cruise ship than from one airplane; combine a guest’s air flight to the port with the cruise itself, and you’ve doubled the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

International water pollution, coastal pollution and air pollution produced by every cruise line has resulted in great pressure being placed on them by the Environmental Protection Agency, individual environmental campaign groups and regulations by state and federal agencies. This pressure has had a positive reaction, as various cruise lines take action to reduce their impact on the environment at large through changes on board, in the ship’s operation and even on land through coastal cleanups.

One of the smaller members of the cruise industry, Ecoventura, has unveiled a hybrid energy motor yacht that features wind turbines and solar panels on a smaller vessel. These moves alone should account for about 17% of the energy needed; formerly produced by generators that are carbon fuel based. Others are making efforts in various areas, but so much more is needed to downgrade their “carbon footprint” on the environment.

More drastic changes need to take place to remedy the damage already caused by cruise ship pollution, and just as important to decrease the existing contaminants until they are stopped altogether. Then and only then will cruising be both enjoyable and responsible.