Carnival Chief: ECAs Threaten European Cruise Industry

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday July 8, 2014

New emission rules could be a blow to the cruise industry in northern Europe, Carnival UK Chief Executive David Dingle told Travel Weekly.

"Northern Europe is not sacrosanct even at a time when cruise lines are starting to grow capacity," he said.

Already, he said, the company's P&O Cruises and Cunard Line brands have planned a 28 percent cut in cruises in the Baltic and Norway between 2013 and 2015 since the region is not drawing new cruise passengers.

Dingle said the industry needs more flexibility in the implementation of new sulfur limits in Europe's Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) to allow it to fit ships with scrubbers so that they can continue to burn standard bunkers, a process that could take up to two years.

UK shipping industry players have been lobbying Prime Minister David Cameron to push European Union (EU) officials for more time to adjust to the new rules, and Dingle said he sees a "50-50" chance of succeeding in winning extra time to install scrubbers.

Carnival's U.S. operations are in the process of installing scrubbers on 70 ships.