Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

4 1 Le Commandant-Charcot, a hybrid-electric exploration vessel running on LNG, embodies PONANT’s commitment to sustainable tourism critical to our business and conserving their health is our responsibility – and we take it very seriously. This means having oversight at senior executive and board level and setting ambitious sustainability targets that push us forward. For our parent company Royal Caribbean Group, reducing energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants is a critical part of the environmental stewardship strategy. Our approach includes initiatives in both marine and hotel operations – on the marine side, we’ve introduced initiatives including air lubrication systems, air purification systems and most recently shore power, as well as a host of operational measures that help optimise the ships’ trim and path through the water. On the hotel side, we’ve implemented heat capture systems and are exploring fuel cells to power hotel operations. Our Save the Waves programme began as a waste management programme. Today 100 per cent of our fleet is equipped to be landfill free – this is a result of our Green Hub programme that has vetted waste operators at key global ports to ensure that waste, including recyclables, is properly handled. We have also taken action to reduce single-use plastics across our fleet and, in two years, we’ve reduced our consumption by 60 per cent. How are you working with the ports and destinations you visit? WD: Approaching seldom-visited places by sea promises a privileged discovery of little-known cultures and populations who continue a traditional way of life, often on the lands of their ancestors. Without profound respect for these people, we would not be accepted. When planning every single one of our expedition cruises, we work closely with the local communities – they are the ones who decide what they want to share from their cultures and environments. Furthermore, we are working with the main ports to install onshore power connection for our ships. NR: Ensuring we have vibrant and healthy destinations in the future is critical to the success of our business. That’s why we have endorsed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) standards for sustainable tourism and engaged our tour operators to become certified. To date, nearly 2,000 of our tours have undergone the process and are committed to delivering a sustainable holiday experience. We believe sustainable tourism demands a multi-stakeholder approach. Over the past few years we have worked with local governments and partners such as World Wildlife Fund to support various GSTC destination assessments. Photo: ©PONANT - STIRLING DESIGN INTERNATIONAL