Are Cruise Ships Big Polluters?

The 2021 European Maritime Transport Environmental report revealed that larger ships, such as container ships, bulk carriers, and oil tankers, emit 60% of all black carbon (BC) emissions. Cruise ships, which make up only 1% of the global fleet, emitted more sulfur oxides than all cars in Europe in 2022. A recent study from The European Federation for Studies showed that one cruise ship produces roughly the same amount of carbon emissions as 12,000 cars. Cruise ships are also poorly regulated, contributing to environmental catastrophes such as toxic waste, carbon dioxide pollution, and marine wildlife deaths.

Despite new rules, Europe’s 218 cruise ships emitted more SOx than one billion cars in 2022, or 4.4 times more than all continents. A large cruise ship can have a carbon footprint greater than 12,000 cars, while passengers on Antarctic cruise ships were responsible for more than four times the sulphuric emissions into Europe’s atmosphere than all of the continents’ cars last year. 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 cruise ships.

A quarter of all ocean waste comes from cruise ships, with nearly 90% of this waste legally discharged at sea. Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide (SOX) around European coasts than did all 260 million cars combined in 2017. Cruise ships are the worst polluters in the travel industry due to multiple reasons, including the use of scrubbers to reduce air pollution but transferring contaminants to the ocean.

Is cruising ethical?

When it comes to the ethics of cruising, lots of different things are going on: Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, cruise ships are terrible…but things are improving. Cruise lines celebrate “excess,” and they’re bad for the environment in other ways…but they’ve improved even more here.

Michael and I have written a lot about cruise ships. Lately, we’ve given the reasons why we like them and how they really work for aspects of our lifestyle.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have concerns about the ethics of cruising.

For decades, the cruise industry has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism — for their environmental and community impacts, and also for the treatment of their workers.

Is Royal Caribbean bad for the environment?

For decades the cruise industry has been criticized for its negative impact on the environment. A 2021 study published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin found that despite technical advances, cruising remains a major source of air, water and land pollution affecting fragile habitats and human health.

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Do cruise ships pollute more than cars?

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.

The statistic, while jarring, is a significant decrease from a few years ago, when the organization found ships owned by Carnival Corporation that visited European ports in 2017 emitted 10 times more sulfur oxides than all of Europe’s cars.

The drop is largely thanks to a 2020 rule from the International Maritime Organization that lowered the sulfur content limit of ship fuel from 3.5% to 0.5%.

Do cruise ships dump human waste in the ocean?

Do cruise ships dump plastic at sea?. Yes, many cruise ships dump plastic at sea. It’s illegal according to U.S. and international maritime law, but many companies have proven they don’t care, and have been caught illegally spewing plastic into the sea. Carnival Cruise Lines was found dumping food mixed with plastic waste into the waters of the Bahamas. And in 2019, Royal Caribbean was fined $20 million for its illegal plastic disposal methods. The cruise industry has been accused of having some of the worst waste management practices worldwide, and while the law says cruise ships have to offload plastic at a port, we know that many are doing just the opposite.

Can cruise ships dump waste at sea?. Yes. It’s quite legal to dump sewage and food waste into the sea. U.S. law requires cruise ships to treat waste within about 3.5 miles of shore—but beyond that, there are no restrictions on dumping polluted sewage and graywater. Researchers have estimated that over a billion gallons of sludge made from excrement and food scraps are released into the ocean every year by cruise lines.

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The sewage is not just human waste, but also contains chemicals, pharmaceuticals, bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals that are not naturally present in the ocean. Cruise ships don’t have the resources or the facilities to filter out many of these toxic substances. They end up in the habitats of many coastal animals from otters to dolphins to whales, leading to reproductive problems, illness and population decline.

Are ships the biggest polluters?

Shipping is responsible for over a tenth of transport emissions and is a major source of air pollution. Thanks to decades of inaction, its environmental impact is growing. But switching to green fuels and greater efficiency would bring a cleaner future.

Shipping is responsible for over a tenth of transport emissions and is a major source of air pollution. Thanks to decades of inaction, its environmental impact is growing. But switching to green fuels and greater efficiency would bring a cleaner future.

Shipping emits 1,000 Mt CO2 per year, which is 3% of global CO2 emissions. According to the International Maritime Organisation, shipping emissions are set to increase by up to 50% by mid-century if stringent measures are not taken.

Shipping also contributes to poor air quality. T&E is the leading environmental organisation in Europe tackling shipping emissions and other negative impact of shipping.

How bad are cruise ships for the environment?

A daily cruise trip averages 700-1000 pounds of carbon emissions, much higher than flying, driving, or a traditional ‘land’ vacation. Additionally, the sulphur dioxide emissions from a single cruise ship can equal the emissions from 13.1 million cars per day, exacerbating air pollution and acid rain.

Data shows that large cruise ships can burn up to 250 tons of fuel daily, producing substantial CO2 emissions. Primarily, bunker fuel, the dirtiest fuel, exacerbates the environmental damage, emitting considerable amounts of black carbon, sulfates, and other harmful chemicals​.

When considering the impact per usage, vacationers generate eight times more carbon on a cruise ship than on land. A week-long journey on a cruise ship for one passenger can result in over 200 kilograms of CO2 emissions, significantly higher than many other forms of travel.

Do cruise ships contribute to global warming?

It probably won’t come as a shock that the whole thing isn’t exactly sustainable. 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. And for years, the industry has been dogged by bad PR from everything from routine dumping of toxic sludge to increasingly organized outrage from communities tired of hordes of tourists getting dumped at their docks.

The big question, though, is whether those customers buying cruise packages to the Bahamas or Alaska particularly care. It’s easy to make the case that they don’t. Despite the industry’s continued investment in new fossil fuel-powered ships, cruise ticket sales are projected to climb back to record 2019 sales levels this year after a hit during the pandemic, according to the latest industry association report.

At least one cruise company, though, is betting that at least some potential customers care about sustainable vacations. Hurtigruten, a specialty cruise line based in Norway, says it has built its last fossil fuel-powered ship. On June 7, the company unveiled new details about the technologies it’s testing in pursuit of the world’s first zero-emission cruise ship, and renderings of what the boat might look like. Instead of towering over the ocean, the ship seems to cling close to the water, the better to reduce air resistance. In place of smokestacks, the designers envision retractable sails that double as solar panels. It runs on batteries instead of the thick, sticky fuel oil that powers most ships. And it’ll be ready, the company hopes, by 2030.

Are cruise ships more polluting than planes?

Taking a seven-day cruise is more than three times as carbon-intensive as flying and staying abroad.

With new research revealing that 214 cruise ships emitted four times as much sulphur as one billion cars last year, Energy Monitor compares the environmental footprint of a cruise holiday with flying to a similar destination.

Cruises in Europe emitted more sulphur than one billion cars – 4.4 times more cars than there are on the continent – according to a June 2023 report from Brussels-based NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).The NGO finds that cruise ship pollution at Europe’s busiest ports has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with sulphur oxides reaching 509 tonnes (t) in 2022, an increase of 9% compared with 2019 levels, while methane emissions increased fivefold during this period, to 7,804t.

This is because the total number of cruise ships on European waters increased from 173 in 2019 to 214 in 2022, outweighing potential emissions reductions from various policies introduced at industry and EU level in recent years, such as the 2020 Global Sulphur Cap imposed by the International Maritime Organization, reducing the maximum content of sulphur in fuels from 3.5% to 0.5%.