Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

4 0 Celebrity Cruises aims to preserve the destinations it visits through initiatives such as the Galapagos reforestation programme, which exceeded its goal by 150 per cent thanks to the help of guests and crew members The green room PONANT’s Wassim Daoud and Royal Caribbean Group’s Nick Rose discuss the importance of sustainability with Rebecca Barnes ROUNDTABLE How important is a robust sustainability programme for cruise lines, and what sustainability practices do you already have onboard your ships? Wassim Daoud, head of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at PONANT, and officer at PONANT Foundation: PONANT’s commitments are an integral part of the company’s status and a priority for its management. We have created a Sustainable Development & Corporate Social Responsibility department that reports directly to our CEO and co-founder, Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, and have an environmental officer present onboard each ship. In support of this, PONANT has initiated a series of unprecedented environmental initiatives. These include: the use of the cleanest maritime fuels, the installation of catalytic converter for nitrogen oxide elimination, shore power, carbon offsetting for 150 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions, waste sorting and recycling, biological treatment of sewage water, and the reduction of single-use plastics. Nick Rose, director of environmental programmes at Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises: The oceans are WASS IM DAOUD Head of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at PONANT, and officer at PONANT Foundation NICK ROSE Director of environmental programmes at Royal Caribbean Group The panel: