Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury

NABU, the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, has published its 2017 cruise ship rankings and the results show how little progress the industry has made when it comes to pollution. Of 77 cruise ships assessed, 76 use toxic heavy fuel oil. NABU says that by using this fuel, one single giant liner will emit as much pollution as 5 million cars would on the same route.

AIDAnova is the only ship on the list which is powered by the less harmful LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). It is a new ship on the market, built by the Meyer shipyard in the northwestern German area of Papenburg. It is the first of seven next-generation LNG-powered cruise ships ordered by leisure travel company Carnival.

New additions to the portfolios of companies such as TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (the 'Europa 2' is pictured here) are at least using nitric oxide reduction techniques through selective catalytic reduction. They also can use electric shorepower when docked at port.

Many cruise liners do not have soot particle filters or diesel particulate filters, making the air above the ocean giants anything but fresh and clean. The density of fine particles on deck can be anything up to 20 times that of a busy street.

The NABU survey praises the innovation of AIDAnova and suggests that others should look to emulate its lead. Should other cruise liners convert to LPG, residents of coastal areas would benefit from improved air quality.

However, LNG is far from a panacea if a recent study by the Transport and Environment organization is to be believed. It does not identify LNG has having significant advantages over diesel when it comes to climate protection. It is increasingly obvious that massive technological changes in shipping are required.

"No entry for dirty cruise ships" — that's what NABU head Leif Miller thinks is needed, as no major technological shift is in sight for the industry. Given the impact dirty cruise liners have on the health of residents unfortunate enough to live close to their pathways, some kind of drastic action is needed it seems.