By
Michele Witthaus |
The state of cruising in Europe and the impact on the region's cruise industry of Emission Control Areas (ECAs) came under discussion at Cruise Europe Conference 2012, which took place in Greenwich, London, on 25 April.
Opening the conference, CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines UK David Dingle said that cruise demand in almost every country was now back to ‘pre-Concordia’ levels. “There is great and growing value in our industry. European cruise demand continues to grow at a rate of 10 per cent annually,” he remarked. In the face of rising fuel costs impacting air fares and other factors affecting foreign source markets, he said: “On balance, cruise operators in Europe will be ever more dependent on European source markets.”
Various strategies for coping with tougher sulphur limits in the ECA areas of the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel by 2015 to comply with the stipulations of MARPOL Annex VI came under discussion in presentations at the conference, from slower cruising speeds to moving ships out of ECA regions altogether. Building ever larger ships with fewer calls to create economies of scale was another option considered.
“There is going to be a greater focus on the vessel as the ultimate destination,” said Adam Sharp, manager, port operations at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL). He said that for cruise lines with itineraries in ECAs, reduced speed was the best option for managing emissions, along with visits to ports that are closer together, and spending more days at sea. Another option being tested by RCCL to lower emissions is gas scrubber technology, currently being trialled on its vessel Independence of the Seas.
Robert Ashdown, director, technology, environment and operations for the European Cruise Council, outlined the economic impact on owners of measures to lower emissions, from various abatement technologies to switching to less polluting fuel. “The average increase in fuel costs could be around 80 per cent, with up to 50 per cent of this being the cost of compliance,” he said, adding: “Any abatement technologies are unlikely to be widespread by the deadline of 2015.”
This year’s Cruise Europe conference, which was attended by representatives of more than 80 European ports and several major cruise lines, coincided with the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2 to Greenwich for the re-opening of the historic Cutty Sark vessel to the public. The conference also introduced delegates to plans for the new London cruise port scheduled for development at Greenwich.