What Is The Carbon Footprint Of A Cruise Ship?

The carbon footprint of an average land-based vacationer is around 51.88kg, while the average cruise ship passenger emits 0.83 tonnes of CO2-equivalent just for their cruise. Most packages also include air travel to the port of embarkation and back home. The individual carbon footprint of a cruise trip is almost five times that of a villa holiday and 25 times that of camping. Cruise ships make up a small part of the total climate impact of flying, but they are considered to be worse than flying in terms of carbon emissions per passenger. A recent study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin found that a large cruise ship can have a carbon footprint greater than 12,000 cars.

Cruise ships represent 0.6 percent of total travel carbon emissions, the least of any sector of the travel industry and far less than aviation. Industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Two main alternates are battery and cruise ships.

Friends of the Earth released new data showing cruise goers emit eight times more carbon dioxide per day than a land-based vacationer. In our global shipping emissions inventory, we found that the world’s largest and most efficient cruise ships emit about 250 gCO2pax-km. While cruise ships account for around 1% of the global fleet, they are responsible for 6% of black carbon emissions. A five-night, 1,200 mile cruise results in about 1,100 lbs of CO2 emissions.

A mid-sized cruise ship can use as much as 150 tonnes of fuel each day, which emits as much particulate as one million cars. Recent research reveals that 214 cruise ships emitted four times as much sulphur as one billion cars last year.

Are cruise ships the biggest polluters?

Larger ships make up the vast majority of black carbon emissions, with container ships, bulk carriers and oil tankers emitting 60 percent of all BC emissions, according to the 2021 European Maritime Transport Environmental report. Although cruise ships make up only 1 percent of the global fleet, they account for 6 percent of black carbon (BC) emissions. 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. But with so many of them (5008 according to the cited 2017 report, or 5,534 according to our latest stats), they have a far greater impact on the environment, accounting for 26 percent of the global fleet’s black carbon emissions.

Black carbon, or “soot” as it’s more commonly known, is created through the partial combustion of diesel, coal, or other biomass. When inhaled, the small particles can lead to health problems, namely with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Yet it’s also an environmental hazard, as the dark color of its particles means that black carbon is very good at absorbing sunlight, which heats up the atmosphere and contributes to the climate emergency; something reflected in the report, which states that black carbon was responsible for 6.85 percent of the global warming contribution from shipping in 2018, while CO2 contributed 91.32 percent. This damage appears to be regional, as when soot blankets snow or ice, it reduces the natural ‘albedo’ effect – the ability to reflect sunlight – while heating up the surface, leading to greater melt, and more warming than elsewhere. This means black carbon near the Arctic is especially harmful.

As it stands, BC emissions are not currently directly regulated at an international level. The Arctic Council and the International Maritime Organization are, however, looking further into the impacts of black carbon in the Arctic. The report states that next steps may be to introduce a potential ban on the carriage and use of heavy fuel oil by ships in the Arctic, as of 2024.

Do cruise ships still pollute the ocean?

Cruise ships harm the ocean in multiple ways, critics say. Systems such as scrubbers can reduce air pollution but transfer contaminants to the ocean by releasing hot, acidic and toxic water. Switching to new fuel types will reduce the use of these systems, according to industry representatives.

• For years, campaigners have highlighted the unsustainable practices of the cruise ship industry, including the massive vessels’ dumping of sewage and wastewater, and their emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
• The cruise industry says it’s working hard to limit its environmental footprint, with the adoption of advanced wastewater treatment systems, cleaner fuels, and other sustainability measures.
• Jurisdictions around the globe have begun tightening rules to limit the effects of visiting ships.
• Critics and advocates remain unconvinced, arguing that much more needs to be done at a far faster pace to tackle cruisers’ global impact on the ocean and air.

In July, Amsterdam became the latest in a series of cities to regulate against huge cruise ships in an attempt to tackle pollution and the burden of overtourism. The Dutch capital joins other cities, such as Venice in Italy, Monterey Bay in California, and Bar Harbor in Maine, in seeking to limit the impact of cruises.

Around the same time, Transport Canada, a national regulator, took its own steps to tackle cruise waste: It upgraded measures that prohibit ship wastewater disposal in the sea from voluntary to mandatory. For years, Canada’s national waters were likened to a “toilet bowl” due to lax regulations enabling cruise ships passing through the country’s waters to dump sewage at will, according to campaigners.

Are cruise ships worse for the environment than cars?

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%.

How environmentally damaging are cruise ships?

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. Now, corporations are building billion-dollar cruise ships to hold more than 9,000 people. They’re doing everything they can to pack these floating cities full of tourists while polluting everything in their path.

Environmental Impact of Top Cruise Lines. Unfortunately, everything that cruise ships come in contact with are likely to be harmed along their journey. The air, water, fragile habitats, coastal communities, and wildlife are all affected. But most governments have refused to take actions to actually regulate the cruise industry and buried their heads in the sand to ignore the ongoing damage to the environment and communities.

Friends of the Earth works diligently to collect vital information about cruises to help the public understand their impacts. In our Cruise Ship Report Card we assess the largest cruise lines and their ships.

How much do cruise ships contribute to global warming?

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.

For instance, a five-night, 1,200-mile cruise produces about 1,100 lbs of CO2 emissions. The average CO2 emissions for a 3,000-passenger cruise ship is 1,200 kg/km, and trips can be thousands of kilometres long.

The water and energy consumption rates are equally alarming, with a cruise ship passenger’s daily water usage being more than twice that of an average person on land.

This highlights cruise vacations’ disproportionate environmental impact compared to more sustainable travel options.

Where does all the waste from cruise ships go?

If you guessed a large portion of it ends up in the oceans, you’d be correct. Sadly, U.S. laws do not do enough to protect our bodies of water. It allows cruise ships to dump waste into the ocean as long as the ships are more than three and a half miles offshore. That means that dirty water from sinks and showers and laundry facilities are discharged into the water. It means that waste from toilets is discharged into the water. And it also means that food waste is also dumped into the ocean.

Guess who doesn’t have a say in the matter? The oceanic wildlife that call the oceans their home.

Commonly Asked Questions about Cruise Ship Waste. We’ve put together some of the most frequently asked questions about cruise ship waste to help illustrate the pollution these floating cities cause.

How wasteful are cruise ships?

To the cruise ship industry, a key issue is demonstrating to the public that cruising is safe and healthy for passengers and the tourist communities that are visited by their ships. Cruise ships carrying several thousand passengers and crew have been compared to “floating cities,” in part because the volume of wastes produced and requiring disposal is greater than that of many small cities on land. During a typical one-week voyage, a large cruise ship (with 3,000 passengers and crew) is estimated to generate 210,000 US gallons (790,000L) of sewage; 1million US gallons (3,800m3) of graywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundries); more than 130 US gallons (490L) of hazardous wastes; 8 tons of solid waste; and 25,000 US gallons (95m3) of oily bilge water. Passengers can singlehandedly produce up to 7.7 pounds of waste in a single day aboard a cruise ship. Those wastes, if not properly treated and disposed of, can pose risks to human health, welfare, and the environment. Environmental advocates have raised concerns about the adequacy of existing laws for managing these wastes, and suggest that enforcement of existing laws is weak.(citation needed)

A 2000 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report focused attention on problems of cruise vessel compliance with environmental requirements. GAO found that between 1993 and 1998, foreign-flag cruise ships were involved in 87 confirmed illegal discharge cases in U.S. waters. A few of the cases included multiple illegal discharge incidents occurring over the six-year period. GAO reviewed three major waste streams (solids, hazardous chemicals, and oily bilge water) and concluded that 83% of the cases involved discharges of oil or oil-based products, the volumes of which ranged from a few drops to hundreds of gallons. The balance of the cases involved discharges of plastic or garbage. GAO judged that 72% of the illegal discharges were accidental, 15% were intentional, and 13% could not be determined. The 87 cruise ship cases represented 4% of the 2,400 illegal discharge cases by foreign-flag ships (including tankers, cargo ships and other commercial vessels, as well as cruise ships) confirmed during the six years studied by GAO. Although cruise ships operating in U.S. waters have been involved in a relatively small number of pollution cases, GAO said, several have been widely publicized and have led to criminal prosecutions and multimillion-dollar fines.(citation needed)

In 2000, a coalition of 53 environmental advocacy groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take regulatory action to address pollution by cruise ships. The petition was amended in 2000 to request that EPA also examine air pollution from cruise ships. The petition called for an investigation of wastewater, oil, and solid waste discharges from cruise ships. In response, EPA agreed to study cruise ship discharges and waste management approaches. As part of that effort, EPA issued a background document in 2000 with preliminary information and recommendations for further assessment through data collection and public information hearings. The agency released its final Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report in 2009. The report summarized findings of recent data collection activities, especially from cruise ships operating in Alaskan waters.

What is the carbon footprint of a cruise ship compared to an airplane?

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.

Cruise ships also produce loads of waste and rubbish. Every passenger creates around 3.5 kilograms of rubbish each day, rather than the 0.8 kilograms produced by people on shore.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, many people will fly to the start of their cruises.

Do ships emit more CO2 than cars?

Within the transportation sector, shipping claims the third position in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, comprising 11% of the total, trailing closely behind passenger vehicles at 39% and medium to heavy trucks at 23%. Due to the increase in global trade and the demand for maritime carriage of goods, the sector’s carbon footprint, primarily because of CO2, is poised to potentially surge by 50% to 250% by the year2050 if proactive measures are not taken.

What are the main pollution sources in the maritime transportation sector?

Ships require energy to operate. While cleaner fuels are gradually gaining traction, shipping companies continue to depend on fossil fuels like marine gas oil and heavy fuel oil. The combustion of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) results in the release of harmful gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), all of which contribute to the problem of climate change. In addition, ships produce sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, which, although not directly affecting the climate, pose significant environmental and health risks.

Do cruise ships dump raw sewage into the ocean?

Do Cruise Ships Dump Sewage?. Yes. To get into a few more specifics than above, the U.S. allows cruise ships to dump treated waste into the ocean if they are within three and a half miles from shore. Beyond that point, there are no restrictions for dumping untreated, raw sewage in U.S. ocean waters. There are a few places like Puget Sound, California, and most of New England where no-dumping zones have been created but everywhere else, sewage can be dumped.

How Much Sewage Do Cruise Ships Dump?. More than a billion gallons of sewage are dumped into the ocean annually. This sewage is not only full of human waste, but also chemicals, pharmaceuticals, bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and hazardous waste. And many cruise ships lack the sewage treatment facilities to adequately filter out toxins.

The increased waste in the ocean adds to the problem of pollution and oxygen depletion in the waters. Added nitrogen and phosphorus allow for algae blooms — which can suffocate coral reefs, manatees, shellfish, and fish.

What is the carbon footprint of a 7 day cruise?

300 kilograms https://foe.org/news/cruise-passengers-carbon/ The report found that the calculated that a person staying in a standard double-occupancy cabin on a seven-day cruise generates a daily carbon footprint of 300 kilograms. The daily greenhouse gas emissions for someone staying in a suite amount to 357.14 kilograms.

Cruising, a popular form of vacation, has long been scrutinized for its environmental impact, particularly its substantial carbon footprint. As the world becomes increasingly eco-conscious, the cruise industry faces the challenge of adapting to sustainable practices. This article delves into the factors contributing to the carbon footprint of cruises, compares it with traditional air and hotel vacations, and explores the potential of new fuels in steering this sector towards a greener future.

Factors Contributing to Cruise Carbon Footprint. Fuel Consumption and Emissions: The primary contributor to a cruise ship’s carbon footprint is its fuel consumption. Most ships use heavy fuel oil, notorious for high carbon emissions. The enormous size of cruise ships and their constant operation, including powering onboard amenities, exacerbate this issue.

Energy Usage: Beyond propulsion, the energy needs for lighting, air conditioning, and entertainment onboard cruise ships are colossal, directly impacting their carbon emissions.