Cruise Lines' Environmental Performance "Lousy", Says NGO, Again

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday September 5, 2017

The cruise industry has once again scored badly in the latest environmental assessment from German environmental group NABU.

The non-governmental organisation, which publishes an annual ranking of how it views the environmental performance of cruise ships operating in European waters, allocates "green propellers" to ships that meet a range of enviromental critieria including use of scrubbers (to reduce sulfur emissions), soot particle filters, onshore power supply in port and the use of alternative energy in ports.

According to NABU, no company comes recommended for its environmental prowess in its 2017 cruise ship rankings. This was also the case for its 2016 findings.

In the 2017 survey, vessels from three companies, TUI, Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA, manage to score at least one green propeller whereas most ships in the survey were awarded four red propellers (indicating poor environmental performance).

"Hapag-Lloyd and TUI share the top position due to the installation of nitrogen oxide catalysts, a small but important step towards cleaner ships," NABU said.

However, NABU's head of transport policy Dietmar Oeliger described the overall environmental performance of cruise companies as "lousy".

"Last year the sector claimed 23 ships would be operating with soot filters. The truth is not a single filter is working at present," Oeliger said.

The green group also took issue with the fact that "not one company responded to a simple Q&A supplied by NABU," taking it as a sign the sector was guilty of a lack of dialogue and transparency.

Cruise Lines Industry Association (CLIA) said in a statement posted on its website in late August that CLIA members "are investing $1 billion in environmental technology". TUI, Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA are all CLIA members.

CLIA has also repeatedly gone on record as saying the NABU assessment falls short of scientific standards.

Speaking to Ship & Bunker last year following the 2016 assessment, Helge Grammerstorf, National Director of CLIA Germany said: "The NABU ranking lacks scientific standards and consistent evaluation criteria. For instance, vessels equipped with scrubbers were still awarded half a point last year.

"That's different in this year's ranking: ships with scrubbers were not given any points in 2016, even though scrubbers are a technology that is acknowledged by law. In other words, the NABU does not take a key technology for aftertreatment of exhaust gases into consideration at all."

Ships operating in emission control areas, which includes the North and Baltic Seas, must use bunker fuel of 0.1% sulfur or have a scrubber installed.

In addition, since 2010 ships in European Union ports must use 0.1% bunker fuel when at berth.