Tourexpi
"Cruise
lines are continuing to reduce their emissions at sea and at berth in pursuit
of net zero emissions by 2050," said Kelly Craighead, president and
CEO of Cruise Lines International Association. "This year's environmental
technologies report demonstrates their progress, with the industry investing in
engine technologies with conversion capabilities that will allow ships to use more
renewable energy sources as they become available and making important
incremental steps to employ a range of other environmental technologies and
practices to advance the industry's wider sustainability initiatives."
Highlights
from the industry's 2024 Environmental Technologies and Practices report
include:
Fleet
Profile
The
CLIA-member ocean fleet includes 303 ships and a total capacity of 635,000
lower berths operated by 45 cruise line brands representing 90% of capacity —
an increase of 3.6% and 3.34% respectively, compared to the prior year.
Analysis
of the current CLIA member cruise line fleet indicates that the majority of
ocean-going ships operated by CLIA member cruise lines are small to mid-size
ships, with ship size distribution across the fleet as follows:
·
35% of ships are small ships (fewer
than 1,000 lower berths)
·
38% of ships are mid-size ships (1,000
to fewer than 3,000 lower berths)
·
26% of ships are large ships (upwards
of 3,000 lower berths)
Fuel
Flexibility
CLIA
member cruise lines are investing in new ships and engines that allow for fuel
flexibility. This includes capability to use renewable biodiesel, investments
in the capability to use green methanol when available, and liquified natural
gas (LNG). Ships designed with engines and fuel supply systems able to operate
on LNG will be able to switch to zero and near-zero fuels such as bio or
synthetic LNG in the future, with no engine modifications.
19
ships (representing 7% of the fleet and 13% of the fleet's global capacity) are
using LNG for primary propulsion.
LNG
has virtually zero sulfur emissions and particulate emissions, reduces NOx
emissions by approximately 85% and achieves up to a 20% reduction in GHG
emissions. Multiple reports confirm that methane slip (small amounts of escaped
methane) – an acknowledged issue with LNG engines – is on a path to be nearly
eradicated, with some industry stakeholders claiming that slip values of less
than 1% is achievable within the next few years.
Selective
Catalytic Reduction Technology (SCR)
71
ships, representing 25% of the fleet and more than 20% of global capacity, have
SCR systems — an increase of 34% from 2023.
Selective
Catalytic Reduction technology (SCR) reduces particulate matter and nitrogen
oxides emissions, thus helping ships to meet IMO Tier III classification
standards for nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx).
Onshore
Power Supply (OPS)—also referred to as Shoreside Electricity (SSE) Capability
Plugging
in to OPS when ships are in port allows ships' engines to be switched off,
achieving significant overall pollutant emissions reductions of up to 98%,
depending on the mix of energy sources, according to studies conducted by a
number of the world's ports and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Across
the CLIA cruise line member fleet:
147
ships are able to connect to OPS (52% of the total number of ships and 61% of
capacity) — 23% more than the prior year and 167% more since 2018.
By
2028, 239 ships that are able to connect to OPS are expected to be in service
(based on the number of ships scheduled to be retrofitted and new ships on the
order book specified for OPS connectivity). This includes 64 ships currently in
service and each of the 28 CLIA member cruise ships on the 2024- 2028 order
book — all of which are specified for OPS connectivity.
CLIA
champions the advancement of onshore power infrastructure as an important
component in the industry's work to reduce emissions and supports continued
development of cost-effective infrastructure for clean shoreside electricity in
cruise ports when the net impact delivers an overall emission reduction.
Currently
35 of the ports worldwide where cruise ships call (fewer than 3%) have a cruise
berth with OPS.
22
additional cruise ports are funded for OPS infrastructure and 16 cruise ports
are planning to install OPS — a total of 38 ports.
In
2022, CLIA announced that its ocean cruise line members made a commitment that
all ships calling at ports capable of providing OPS will be equipped to either
use shore power by 2035 or be able to use alternative low-carbon technologies,
as available, to reduce emissions in port.
As
part of the EU's Fit for 55 decarbonization regulations, by 2030 major ports
in Europe will be required to have shoreside power, which will
further accelerate port infrastructure investment in that region.
Advanced
Wastewater Treatment Systems (AWTS)
The
majority of CLIA-member cruise ships sailing today utilize advanced wastewater
treatment systems (AWTS), which are capable of exceeding MARPOL Annex IV
requirements and perform better than shoreside treatment plants in some coastal
cities. In addition, as part of their overarching sustainability focus, cruise
lines have committed to not release untreated sewage anywhere in the world,
during normal operations.
Across
the CLIA cruise line member fleet, 225 ships (80% of the total,
representing 84% of global passenger capacity) are equipped with AWTS (an 11%
increase from 2023 and a 65% increase from 2018).
More
than one-third of the ships equipped with AWTS are capable of meeting the
more stringent wastewater release standards of the Baltic Sea Special Area.
Freshwater
production
The
majority of CLIA members produce their own fresh water onboard their ships,
with 267 ships (representing more than 94% of reporting ships and 96% of global
capacity) able to do so — of which 172, nearly 60% of the fleet, are capable of
producing enough water to match their total consumption.
Image Credit: © Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA)
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