For cruise lines, environmental sustainability means good business

At any given moment, tens of thousands of vessels ply the world’s oceans. Of the roughly 50,000 oceangoing ships regulated by the United Nation’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), a little more than 300 are cruise ships. Yet cruise lines often lead the maritime sector in environmental stewardship.

What’s good stewardship? A commitment to collaborate with international and national regulators, investments in innovation to further advance best practices and policies, and leadership by raising the bar on what’s possible—because it’s the right thing to do and it’s also essential to the cruise industry’s success.

{mosads}This week, an IMO standing committee meets to set an implementation date for lower sulfur requirements for all ships. The new standard will require use of fuel with only 0.5 percent sulfur content or an alternative compliance method – such as an exhaust gas cleaning system – to achieve the same result. This is a substantial decrease from the existing 3.5 percent global sulfur cap under international regulations.

Even stricter controls are in place in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) along the U.S., Canadian and Caribbean coastlines, and in other parts of the world. Sulphur limits in ECAs can be no more than 0.1 percent.  Many cruise lines outperform these standards.

Additionally, working through the industry’s global trade association, CLIA, the cruise industry collaborated with the IMO to develop mandatory energy efficiency measures that will lead to a 30 percent reduction in new ship CO2 emissions by 2025. This was the first ever global and legally binding greenhouse gas reduction regime for an entire international industry sector and, for the cruise industry, added to steps that cruise lines are already taking to reduce their carbon footprints.

Still, CLIA, the shipping industry and the IMO recognize that more must be done in the maritime realm.

Existing ships, for example, are reducing CO2 emissions via other means, including optimizing itineraries and installing more energy efficient lighting and solar panels.

All told, cruise lines have invested well over $1 billion in advanced emissions technologies and alternative fuels. In another multi-billion dollar investment, six cruise lines have ordered 13 new ships that will be propelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), including two ships designed with innovative fuel cell technology.

October is Plan a Cruise Month, when millions of people around the world will consider a cruise vacation. They can do so knowing that cruise lines are committed to environmental best practices and policies designed to ensure that cruise passengers have access to pristine oceans, clean air and beautiful destinations for generations to come.

Cindy D’Aoust is President & CEO Cruise Lines International Association.

The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.