Americas News
Carnival to Spend $180 Million Following Scrubber Approval
Cruise giant Carnival Corp. & Plc (Carnival) says it will spend $180 million on scrubbers for 32 ships after receiving approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Coast Guard, and Transport Canada to use the technology as an alternative to low-sulfur bunkers within the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA).
Carnival said that by using the technology it would exceed ECA standards, which would otherwise require the use of a marine fuel with a sulfur content not exceeding 1.0 percent by weight when operating within the ECA, a limit dropping to 0.10 percent in 2015.
The cruise company said the move will also help it mitigate escalating fuel costs and allow it to "use the fuel that makes the most sense from an environmental and economic perspective."
"This is a significant accomplishment as well as an important milestone for our company," said Carnival CEO Arnold Donald.
"Working together with the EPA, U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada, we have developed a breakthrough solution for cleaner air that will set a new course in environmental protection for years to come."
Vessels receiving the scrubber systems include ships from Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Cunard that are in the ECA on a regular basis.
Carnival, working with partners, will continue refining the design and installation of the systems between now and mid-2016.
Ships using the scrubbers will also use either low-sulfur marine gas oil (MGO) or shore power while at port in the U.S. and Canada.
The company says it will also consider expanding the systems into additional ships.
Norway's Clean Marine recently reported that its scrubber systems were the first to allow a ship to operate within the U.S. ECA while using high sulfur fuel oil.
