For many decades, ships have been dumping waste at sea and contributing to the pollution of the world’s oceans. Now, thanks to an increase in environmental awareness with both consumers and corporations, cruise liners are making some significant efforts to reduce their waste and energy usage. In the last 10 years alone, cruise ships have managed to reduce their waste and garbage disposal by almost 50 percent. These efforts have led to some cruise liners being known as “green cruising” ships. Here are some examples of what actions the cruise ships are taking in terms of “green” initiatives:

Onboard Recycling

The vast majority of cruise liners have paper, glass, tin and plastic recycling policies on board their ships. Recycling depots are placed at various key points around the ship so that guests can conveniently dispose of their garbage. Ship crew members then assist in sorting and managing the recycling process. Many ships also have garbage compactors. This reduces the amount of space required to store waste and ensures that when the ships dock in harbor the compacted waste can be more easily transported off the ships. Other ships have incinerators onboard where they burn paper and some plastics. Any items that can’t be processed through the incinerator are taken ashore for recycling or licensed disposal. Most ships also have an environmental officer who give onboard TV presentations to guests informing them of the ships recycling processes and why they’re important. This small PR exercise helps the recycling process by getting the guests to dispose of their garbage in the proper recycling bins.

Water Usage, Waste Water and Recycling

Disney Cruise Line has a unique water recycling system. It uses excess heat generated from the ship’s engines to power huge evaporators that are used in the process of transforming sea water to potable water for use on board. In addition, the water used to wash the decks is reclaimed from the condensation in the air conditioning systems.

Another area of environmental concern is the waste water generated by ships. In general terms, there are three classifications of waste water: bilge water, black water and grey water. Bilge water is water that collects in the engine compartment and usually mixed with oil, fuel and other engine additives. By law, the oil content needs to be less than 15 parts of oil per million parts of water before it can be released into the sea. Many cruise liners use advanced technology to filter and treat bilge water before it is released into the sea. Black water is sewage which is a major concern for the environment, especially in environmentally sensitive and inshore areas. Ships are required to treat or store sewage and there are only certain areas where sewage may be released into the ocean. Grey water is shower and washing run off. Not as contaminated as black water, it nevertheless contains soaps and other chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Some ships recycle the gray water, purifying it and reusing it for washing and other similar processes on board.

Contributing to Environmental Causes

There are the corporate monetary donations that go to organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund. Other cruise liners have a more active involvement in research. Two of the Carnival Cruise ships, the Carnival Triumph and the Carnival Spirit, have devices installed in their bow that monitor water quality. Set up in association with the International SeaKeepers Society, the devices gather information on the water temperatures, pH, salinity, oxygen, reduction / oxidation reaction, as well as wind speed, barometric pressure, solar temperature and relative humidity. Once collected, this information is transmitted via satellite to universities and research centers around the globe. It is valuable in assessing global climate change, pollution levels and general weather patterns.

Other environmental causes include inshore clean-ups and involvement in local programs such as the Coral Reef Task Force which monitors environmental impact of shipping on sea life. Linblad Expeditions operates in association with the National Geographic Society. The cruises take an active involvement in environmental research projects. Guests on board are encouraged to join the scientists as volunteers, helping to collect data used for research.

Small Things That Make a big Difference

Emissions and fuel usage are two areas where cruise ships can use technology to become more energy efficient. MSC, Cunard, Disney and Carnival Cruise ships have had their hulls painted with a specific hull coating. This coating reduces surface friction and drag, allowing the vessels to move at greater speeds while using less fuel. Many cruise liners have taken active steps to reduce their emissions by applying filters and using more energy-efficient processes.

Celebrity Cruises is one of several cruise lines that is converting to solar power; this greatly reduces the amount of fuel needed to generate electricity on board. Other cruise lines such as Holland American plug into shore power when in port, thereby also reducing the amount of fuel required.

Window tinting, using more energy-efficient LED lights, and air conditioning sensors have all helped to reduce energy usage on board many cruise ships. Encouraging guests to reuse towels, for example, has helped reduce the amount of waste water and chemicals used on board. All of these efforts may seem small in isolation but when you consider the volume that cruise lines operate on, they all add up to make a big difference for the environment in the long run.

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