In its 2016 report documenting the “environmental footprint of the cruise industry,” environmental organization Friends of the Earth awarded Disney Cruise Line with the only A grade for “transparency.” Allegedly, Disney was the only cruise line this year to respond to requests for information about its environmental practices.
An article on the Helenic Shipping News even suggests that every other cruise line “refused to confirm its current environmental technologies,” similar to 2015. Marcie Keever, oceans and vessels program director for Friends of the Earth, said, “Despite its PR blitz regarding installation of new pollution reduction technology, the cruise industry continues to get an ‘F’ for transparency, and many are failing when it comes to air or water pollution or both. Even with the new cleaner fuel rules in North America resulting in the installation of scrubbers on many cruise ships, the industry continues its greenwashing to try and hide its dirty practices from the public.”
The cruises are graded on:
- sewage treatment technology
- air pollution reduction (whether ships have installed shoreside power or scrubbers and if they use cleaner fuel than required by U.S. and international law)
- compliance with Alaska’s water quality regulations to protect the state’s coastal waters
- transparency
News source: Hellenic Shipping News
