Carnival reveals details of its green recycling plans

Cruise shipping major Carnival Corporation & plc has signed agreements with Turkey-based maritime reclamation and recycling specialists EGE CELIK and SIMSEKLER to responsibly dismantle and recycle Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration.

The company sold the 1990-built Carnival Fantasy and 1996-built Carnival Inspiration for demolition in Turkey in July 2020, data from VesselsValue shows.

The ships were retired as part of the company’s cost-cutting plans which resulted in the removal of up to 15 ships through sale and demolition deals. The cruise shipping major has also been working on delaying new fleet arrivals to balance its spending.

Carnival has been hit hard by the suspension of cruising due to COVID-19 impact on the sector. However, the company said it was preparing for a phased resumption of cruise vacations with specific ships and brands returning to service over time.

To formulate an approach to dismantling and recycling ships, Carnival Corporation worked with the environmental non-profit Bellona Foundation – a lead partner in the NGO Shipbreaking Platform – and the specialized ship recycling experts Sea2Cradle.

“Our highest responsibility and top priorities are compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the communities we visit and our crew,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation.

“That commitment extends to our cruise ships, starting from the moment a ship becomes part of our fleet and continuing all the way through to its retirement. In addition to limiting our vessels’ impact on the environment throughout their service time in our fleet, recycling our retired ships following the European Ship Recycling Regulation ensures we are applying the highest global standards and contributing to a sustainable cruise industry.”

Turkey-based EGE CELIK and SIMSEKLER have been selected based on their track records of compliance with key national and international environmental agreements and regulations.

Both recycling companies are certified by the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

They are also strictly required to adhere to a complex matrix of global standards set forth by the European Union (EU), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Basel Convention multilateral environmental agreement.

The recycling companies will formulate a Ship Recycle Plan for each vessel and each plan will include a complete inventory of hazardous and regulated materials and the procedures planned for safely removing and processing the materials in an environmentally friendly way.

Once these materials are safely removed and processed, the companies will begin dismantling each ship.

The ships will be stripped of machinery, electronic equipment, glass, wood and other materials that can be directly upcycled for reuse in new ships, used in ship repair or repurposed for other applications.

Steel and metal scraps will be salvaged and recycled for direct use or be sent to the mill for producing other products and goods.

“Sea2Cradle will supervise ship dismantling and recycling at the demolition yards throughout the entire process to ensure the highest health, safety and environmental standards are maintained,” Carnival added.