Latest FOE Report Bemoans Cruise Industry's Failing Environmental Efforts, CLIA Calls it "Misleading and Inaccurate"

CLIA responded to the newest FOE Cruise Ship Report Card, which was released Thursday, calling the report "misleading and inaccurate."

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Friday responded to the last Friends of the Earth's (FOE's) Cruise Ship Report Card, which was released Thursday, calling the report "misleading and inaccurate," Maritime Executive reports.

The Cruise Ship Report Card 2016 is intended to examine the environmental footprint of the cruise industry, grading 17 cruise lines, along with their 171 ships across four areas: air pollution reduction, including use of alternative fuels and scrubbers, sewage treatment technology, Alaska water quality regulation compliance, and transparency.

Every liner in the report, with the exception of Disney Cruise Line, were given a failing grade for transparency, as FOE says they failed to respond to information requests.

"Despite its PR blitz regarding installation of new pollution reduction technology, the cruise industry continues to get an 'F' for transparency, and many are failing when it comes to air or water pollution or both," said Marcie Keever, oceans and vessels program director for FOE.

Keever says that, despite regulations that require vessels to use cleaner fuels, including the North American emissions control area (ECA) and the resulting surge in exhaust scrubber use among cruise ships, "the industry continues its greenwashing to try and hide its dirty practices from the public."

CLIA says that FOE's report is "subjective, non-scientific, and misleading to the public," adding that the cruise industry is committed to environmental protection, and has reached out to FOE on multiple occasions.

"Once again it is regrettable that FOE has issued a report on the cruise industry that is misleading and inaccurate," stated CLIA.

"Through CLIA, the industry has offered numerous times to meet with FOE. However, our requests have either been put off or outright ignored. While we recognise that this is largely a fundraising effort for FOE, we also believe that they do a disservice to the public in providing inaccurate information."

CLIA notes that the industry has been developing and implementing energy efficiency measures, having invested $1 billion in new technologies and cleaner fuels in order to "significantly" reduce ships' air emissions, and committed more than $8 billion for the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships.

Commenting on the use of scrubbers among cruise ships, CLIA said, "exhaust gas cleaning systems on ships have been shown to reduce by as much as 98 percent the level of sulfur oxides in a ship's exhaust."

Further, CLIA says it supports the continued development of port infrastructure, such as shore power in order to provide cruise ships access to a clean power supply while at port, and has been an active partner with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the development of requirements that would see a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions on new cruise ships by 2025.

As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, improved environmental credentials has not prevented environmental activists using the recent arrival in Barcelona of Harmony of the Seas - the world's largest cruise ship -  as an opportunity to highlight pollution concerns caused by such mega-cruise ships.