Cruise lines tread water in green ratings
With Baltimore's cruise business growing, here's a sobering report card for green travelers.
Friends of the Earth, in its second annual assessment of the environmental performance of cruise lines, finds many of those "love boats" still pollute the air and water more than they need to, fouling the very places they're taking vacationers to see.
"For the second year in a row, we've found that cruise lines are doing less than they can to limit the environmental impact of their ships," Marcie Keever, the group's Clean Vessels Campaign director, said in a release accompanying the report.
Only a few cruise lines, for example, have retrofitted their ships to plug into available portside electricity when docked, reducing their air pollution. About a third apparently still dump raw or minimally treated sewage overboard. And only about a third make it easy for prospective customers to learn online about the cruise lines' environmental practices and performance.
Cruise Lines International Association, an industry group, says on its website that recent pollution violations by cruise ships have served as a wake-up call to member companies to redouble their efforts to improve their environmental performance.
Not much has changed from last year's report card, though. Disney and Royal Caribbean improved their grades, while Holland America and Princess lost groud.
Of the three rated cruise lines that serve Baltimore, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean got a D-plus, and Carnival a D-minus. American Cruise Lines, which sails the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast from Baltimore, wasn't rated.
To see the ratings, go here.
UPDATE: The Cruise Lines Industry Association, which disputed the Friends' earlier report card, issued a statement saying this one was flawed and arbitrary as well. The industry group says its ships treat all "blackwater" aka sewage before discharging it, and it contends its members "meet and often exceed all applicable international and federal environmental standards." For more, go here.
(2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)
Comments
We are very disturbed at FOE’s questionable criteria and selective research to rate cruise ships. Crystal Cruises has implemented many initiatives that focus on waste streams, such as energy conservation, water filtration and waste reduction. In keeping with our high standards in everything we do, Crystal Cruises’ policy on sewage discharge exceeds international regulations. With our Environmental Management System, Crystal has achieved certification to the ISO 14001 standard, which is only awarded to those companies that meet a comprehensive and stringent set of criteria. In fact, Crystal was recertified this past year following an extensive audit. We are proud to be internationally recognized for our “Crystal Clean” initiatives. In 2009, the Ports of Stockholm presented Crystal Symphony with the Environmental Buoy Diploma for the third time, in recognition of our waste management efforts in the region, and Crystal Cruises was awarded the “Venice Blue Flag” by the port of Venice for our commitment to reducing emissions and safeguarding the city’s environment.
Posted by: Crystal Info | May 20, 2010 12:59 PM