Cruises: dream trip or environmental disaster for port cities?

Cruises: dream trip or environmental disaster for port cities?

Cruises are very popular worldwide. Every year over 30 million travelers choose this form of vacation. But despite its popularity, the cruise industry poses significant environmental challenges. Web.de reports that cruise ships emit more CO2 per passenger kilometer than airplanes and up to four times as much as trains. This high CO2 balance, which also includes other greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalents, represents an increasing problem for the environment.

A central factor for the high environmental impact is the energy requirements of ships. They require large amounts of energy for pools, air conditioning and entertainment. This means that they often use heavy oil, which releases large amounts of sulfur oxides and particulate matter and is therefore even more harmful to the environment than diesel in cars or trucks. However, in many ports there is often no option to switch to shore power, which means the engines continue to run in the port and cause additional damage.

The consequences for oceans and coastal regions

The impact on the oceans is serious. Cruise ships produce hundreds of thousands of liters of wastewater every day, some of which is discharged untreated into the sea. In addition, around 25 percent of solid waste in global maritime transport comes from cruise ships. These pollutions endanger not only the marine environment, but also the quality of life in port cities such as Venice, Marseille and Hamburg, which are suffering from increasing air pollution.

In port cities such as Dubrovnik and Santorini, the infrastructure is overloaded, which often leads to discontent among the population. Loud Planet knowledge On average, cruise tourists spend three times less money than traditional hotel vacationers, which does little to support the local economy. Studies also show that 20-40 percent of cruise tourists do not go ashore during their stay.

Environmental protection and future prospects

However, NABU criticizes that the conversion to lower-emission fuels and the adaptation to land-based power supply are taking place too slowly. Although some providers are working on clean technologies, experts doubt that cruises can ever become climate-friendly. An example of the push for more sustainable tourism is the ban on large cruise ships anchoring in Venice since 2021 and the plans in Amsterdam to ban cruise ships from the city center from 2035.

The economic and social impact of cruise tourism should also not be underestimated. Many of the more than 400 cruise ships operating worldwide, which can accommodate around 4,000 passengers, operate under flags of convenience, which often makes working conditions difficult for the people who live and work on board. Long working hours and low salaries are often the reality. After about 20 years, old ships are often sold to developing countries, where they are dismantled in ways that cause further environmental and health problems.

Overall, it is clear that the cruise industry is facing major challenges. In order to reduce environmental impact, sustainable alternatives, such as train travel or longer stays with a lower ecological footprint, are urgently needed. The future of cruise shipping depends on whether and how quickly these changes can be implemented.