Do cruise ships emit thousands of tons of greenhouse gases per week?
According to an estimate cited in The Guardian in 2006, the 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth II consumes 433 metric tons of fuel a day. As each ton burned emits 3.1 tons of carbon dioxide, the big liner produces 9,396 tons of emissions a week. “Travelling to New York and back on the QEII, in other words, uses almost 7.6 times as much carbon as making the same journey by plane,” environmental advocate George Monbiot told the U.K. newspaper.
The 323 cruise ships operating worldwide account for 0.2% of global emissions. The average vessel carries 3,000 passengers. Cruises are carbon-intensive due to their use of heavy fuel oil and their need to run 24/7, as they feed and house both passengers and accompanying staff while in port and en route.
Environmental groups have long urged the industry to invest in cleaner fuel sources. A German advocacy group, NABU, argues that ships’ reliance on relatively “dirty” fuel oil means a single ship can have the impact of a million cars. It calls on owners to convert ships to lower-sulfur fuels and install emissions-control technology.