By
Alex Smith |
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released the Global Cruise Industry Environmental Technologies and Practices Report, produced by Oxford Economics. The report highlights the progress that the cruise industry has made toward the development of technologies and practices to achieve lower emissions and greater efficiency.
According to the report, the cruise industry has invested over US$23.5 billion in ships that use cleaner fuels and new technologies, an increase of US$1.5 billion over 2019.
“Even as we have worked to address and overcome the impacts of Covid-19, the cruise industry remains committed to a cleaner, more sustainable future,” said Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of CLIA. “I can only imagine what we will accomplish together in the next 10 years and beyond. I commend our members for their continued leadership and demonstration of the highest standards of responsible tourism.”
The report found that 49 per cent of newbuild capacity will rely on LNG fuel for primary propulsion, a 51 per cent increase in overall capacity compared to 2018. More than 69 per cent of global capacity utilises exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS), with 96 per cent of non-LNG newbuilds to have EGCS installed. In total, 99 per cent of new ships on order will also feature advanced wastewater treatment systems, while 75 per cent will either be fitted with shoreside electricity systems during construction or configured to allow their addition later.
“The cruise industry works every day to advance its responsible tourism efforts and recognises that continued and greater investment in research is critical to identifying and producing new fuels and propulsion systems," said Adam Goldstein, chairman of CLIA Global. “This is why CLIA, along with other maritime sector partners, have proposed to establish and fund a US$5 billion Research and Development Board dedicated to working collaboratively across the sector to identify the technologies and energy sources that will provide additional opportunities to lessen our environmental footprint and meet the ambitious goals set by the International Maritime Organization.”