By Mark Edward Nero
The Cruise Lines International Association has released its 2016 Environment Sustainability Report, which details the state of the industry’s environmental initiatives and what it says is its ongoing commitment to sustainable voyaging.
The report, released Aug. 10, outlines cruise lines’ continuing efforts to collaborate with environmental stakeholders, develop new technologies and engage the maritime sector in best environmental practices and policies.
Highlights from the report include:
• Some cruise ships recycle or repurpose nearly 100 percent of the waste generated on board — by reducing, reusing, donating, recycling and converting waste into energy.
• Cruise ship waste management professionals recycle 60 percent more waste per person than the average person recycles on shore each day.
• Cruise ships utilize ecological, non-toxic coatings on ship hulls to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 5 percent.
• The cruise industry has pioneered advanced wastewater treatment systems that can produce cleaner water than the wastewater systems of most coastal cities in the United States.
• Cruise line association members have invested over $1 billion in advanced emissions technologies and alternative fuels.
The full 2016 Environmental Sustainability Report can be viewed at http://cruising.org/docs/default-source/research/clia_2016_envsust_8-5x11_8-8.pdf?sfvrsn=0.
