It’s good to know new cruise ships are heading towards zero emissions, says Spear Travels Wolverhampton’s Kim Kent
What would your reaction be if you read that NCLH was planning to expand its fleet, with eight additions across its Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas brands?
Would you think it was great news to have more luxury options for our clients, or would you be concerned about the impact on the environment? I must admit the latter was my initial reaction, but then I wondered if I was being a little negative. I asked a colleague what she thought and this sparked a discussion on how many more new ships the cruise industry needs. This got me thinking, so I started looking up some statistics, and what I found was actually very different from what I had initially thought.
I asked a colleague what she thought and this sparked a discussion on how many more new ships the cruise industry needs
I discovered that more than 30 million people went on a cruise in 2023, but cruising makes up less than 1% of the world’s shipping fleet. Not only that but it accounts for only 2% of the tourism sector.
Furthermore, cruising generates $138 billion for the world economy and supports 1.2 million jobs, according to Clia. While some cities may feel overrun by visitors at times, hundreds of ports welcome the expenditure and the investment.
Taking action
It’s a very visible and easy target for critics, but the industry is keenly aware of the problems, such as overloading ports, and are working to ease them. In some European cities there are often two or three cruise ships in port at a time, which means the destinations are overrun with tourists, so it’s good to know cruise lines are trying to do something about this, such as developing their own private islands and seeking out new destinations.
While some cities may feel overrun by visitors at times, hundreds of ports welcome the expenditure and the investment
On a river cruise earlier this year, I met a cruise writer who fascinated me, so I followed him on social media. To help me with my research I asked him if he’d be up for a chat about the sector and he was. He told me how environmental protections on cruise ships are progressing all the time and how the industry is committed to being net zero by 2050. Millions are being spent on hull designs, he said, as well as on waste disposal systems and alternative fuels to reduce ships’ impact on the environment.
Testing alternatives
There are currently 32 pilot projects involving biofuels, methanol and green hydrogen – not to mention those with battery storage and/or fuel cells to allow for hybrid power generation. It’s all a bit double Dutch to me but it’s good to know the new ships are heading towards zero emissions.
It’s also worth pointing out that while there were 454 ocean-worthy cruise ships worldwide by the end of 2023, not all will have been in service at once, and interestingly, the number of cruise vessels scrapped each year is very similar to the number of vessels launched.
There are currently 32 pilot projects involving biofuels, methanol and green hydrogen – not to mention those with battery storage and/or fuel cells
My cruise business has gone through the roof recently and I’m sure it’s the same for many of you, so it’s clearly an increasingly popular holiday choice due to the value for money it offers.
And if I’d known what I know now after my research, my reaction when I heard that NCLH was expanding in such a way would likely have been different.
Bad luck – but not our fault
How’s this for bad luck? A client arrived at Birmingham airport the day it was forced to close due to a suspicious package being found, meaning his flight was delayed. Eventually, he got away to Dubai – only to arrive amid freak flooding, meaning his onward flight was then cancelled. After spending the night in Dubai airport, he emailed us to say it was our fault! His rescheduled flight to Borneo left on time but on arrival he was told that one of the islands he was due to visit had experienced a volcanic eruption. To top it all, he was then told his luggage was delayed and to date he still doesn’t have it. I guess that was our fault as well?