CLIA: Cruise Industry Targets 40 Pct Carbon Footprint Cut by 2030

The cruise industry has committed to reduce the rate of carbon emissions across the industry fleet by 40 percent by 2030, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced.

“Today’s (December 19) announcement is a tribute to cross-industry collaboration and a shared commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Arnold Donald, Global CLIA Chairman and President & CEO of Carnival Corporation & PLC.

“We aspire to the International Maritime Organization’s vision of a carbon-free shipping industry by the end of the century. Our commitment to a 40 percent reduction in the rate of emissions by 2030 is a strong first step toward realizing that vision.”

Progress toward the 40 percent target will be measured against a 2008 fleet baseline, and emissions rates will be calculated based on the industry fleet’s total carbon emissions, total ship berths and total distance traveled.

CLIA said it would report annually on the industry’s progress toward the commitment.

The association members plan to achieve the cuts by resorting to innovative technologies for energy efficiency in ship design and propulsion. A considerable role is also assigned to LNG as marine fuel with the industry’s first LNG-powered ship launched just last week, and some 25 such ships could be operating by 2025.

Earlier this week, Carnival Corporation’s cruise ship AIDAnova received its first LNG during a maiden call at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife terminal from Shell’s LNG tanker Cardissa.