The cruise ship sector is booming. At the same time, the Protest is growing: The floating hotel plants do not pollute the environment, but also bring cities to the brink of collapse, say critics. A Fact Check.
A whole six hours it took the 70,000-HP “Zuiderdam” was phased out at the beginning of June from the port of Kiel. 50 activists of the group “Smash Cruiseshit” disabled the cruise ship with canoes and inflatable boats at the exit to the Protest of a special task force of the police was dissolved. Even if the criticism of the cruise tourism is growing: The industry is booming like never before. 2018 bays in the world, 28.5 million tourists a trip on a floating Hotel, more than 2 million of them from Germany, and the trend is rising. What was previously a dream for many, today is a great mass, thanks to lower prices, affordable.
Environmentalists criticize that the environment pays the price for affordable dream trips. Because the vast majority of the world’s approximately 300 cruise ships is still driving with heavy fuel oil, the dirtiest fuel of all. Actually is a waste heavy fuel oil product of crude oil processing. The shipping companies, the refineries, hazardous wastes gratefully and use it as a cheap fuel for their ocean liners. A classic Win-Win business you might think – just not for the environment.
The activist group “Smash Cruiseship” in the Blockade of the “Zuiderdam” in the port of Kiel
Because in the combustion of heavy fuel oil are not only large quantities of CO2 (carbon dioxide), but also toxic substances such as sulfur, particulate matter and heavy metals. Including only the environment that suffers. Also, the residents of coastal cities are increasingly complaining about dirty air. Because air conditioning systems, lighting and heating of the vessels must finally also run in port more. After all, the ships to turn into the ports on the expensive marine diesel. The is a little cleaner than heavy fuel oil, but is still a pollutant enough.
In theory, the white giants could relate to during their times – sun, account for the majority of cruises: around 40 per cent of the total travel time – power of the country. So far, however, only two ports in the whole of Europe, with Hamburg (Germany) and Kristiansand (Norway) the so-called shore power. To obtain these, the shipping companies would have to retrofit their ships for a lot of money. However, the financial incentive and the political pressure is missing. You don’t see for the sole reason that even ships with shore power connection use this mostly.
Game and fun at the floating Hotel: a cross, a privilege of the Wealthy drives are only more
Shore power was a “good Option,” says Helge grammer peat, Germany-chief of the world Association of the cruise industry CLIA, in an interview with DW. “But we have to get green power from the country, otherwise it makes ecological sense.” The pollutant load in the port cities would not fall, but in the environment of the coal-fired power plants. In addition, the green electricity had to be offered to good economic conditions, explains the grammer of peat. “This is being worked on, with quite good prospects of success.” The truth is: as Long as there is no nationwide network and the electricity is too expensive, will run the diesel engines and the air of the port cities of strain.
The environmental commitment of the shipping companies is controversial
The cruise industry has to invest billions to make their ships more environmentally friendly. It relies on Flüssigerdegas (LNG) and exhaust after-treatment systems, says grammer peat.
And indeed, With the “AIDAnova” is gone in the last year, the first ship in the world with LNG propulsion from the stack. The liquid natural gas is much more environmentally friendly than heavy fuel oil: No particulates, virtually no nitrogen and sulfur emissions, and a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions. Critics complain, however, that LNG is mainly produced by Fracking, a procedure that carries such high risks to the environment, which is why it is forbidden in Germany to a large extent.
The “AIDAnova” at the time of their Release in the fall of 2018
And LNG is expensive. So the industry will probably in the medium term continues to be on heavy oil, even though the UN-Organisation IMO (International Maritime Organization) has already adopted more stringent limits for sulfur and nitrogen content in the fuel. “The hope is that you will get rid of with the sulphur limit values, automatically, the heavy oil, will not meet, unfortunately, probably,” says Katharina Koppe by the Federal environmental Agency to the DW. Because the exhaust after-treatment systems, the so-called Scrubber, are, according to Koppe “extremely controversial”. This reduced the emissions of the cruise ships, loaded with your sewage, and the oceans.
It’s about the carbon footprint of cruise ships, one should broaden the view, however, as Measured by the global tourism cross traffic trips accounted for only two percent. For comparison: Almost 60 percent of travelers took to 2018 the plane to your holiday destination – this carbon footprint is much more devastating. Have a look at the Maritime shipping total is appropriate. Because in comparison to the 40,000 merchant ships that 90 per cent of world trade unwinding, and the drive also mainly with heavy fuel oil, the 300 cruise ships as an almost negligible size.
How sustainable cruise tourism?
However, holiday on the cruise ship is not only in terms of the environmental impact is problematic. The cruise boom that has changed, as well as the low-cost airlines, the tourism is strong. The floating hotel properties, thousands of visitors to spit daily in cities such as Amsterdam, Venice and Dubrovnik. However, the visitors only stay a few hours. Eaten and is sleeping in a floating Hotel, city tours and Museum visits are usually arranged by the cruise operators themselves. The local tourism industry looks in the tube. Back annoyed residents and any amount of garbage to stay.
Demonstrators protested on 8. June in Venice against cruise ships, after the “MSC Opera” was rammed in the harbour with a tourist boat
Because they threaten to stifle the growing influx to cities such as Dubrovnik in Croatia and Bergen, Norway reduced the number of cruise ships allowed to dock at the port,. Palma de Mallorca wants to join. Other cities, such as Venice and Amsterdam have announced plans to ban the use of the quay for cruise ships from the city centre.
CLIA Germany-Director of grammer peat maintains that the cruise industry had only a very small proportion of the tourist crowds in the cities: “In Barcelona there are just eight per cent, and in Venice only five percent. That is, even if there were no cruises at all, would be about 90 percent of the guest receipts still in the city.” Grammer peat emphasizes, at the same time: “We do not, of course, have an interest in sustainable tourism, because we want to, of course, that the destinations are losing our trips to the attractiveness.” In addition, the cruise industry for the port cities, is still a very good deal.
However, even if cruises only a small proportion of the mass tourism and its environmental impacts and The industry is growing compared to the global travel market disproportionately quickly. More and more ships will cross in the coming years on the world’s oceans, and with them, more and more tourists.