Blog By: Sydney LaRue
In recent years, concern has risen regarding the negative impact of the cruise industry on the environment.[i] Cruise ships have a history of dumping waste into the ocean, hurting underwater ecosystems, and producing large amounts of greenhouse gases.[ii] When Royal Caribbean christened its brand new cruise liner, Icon of the Seas, in January 2024, environmentalists began to consider what the ship, which is now the largest cruise liner in the world, might mean for the future of the world’s oceans.[iii] Royal Caribbean’s most recent addition can carry about eight thousand people and is home to more than forty restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues.[iv] Although such a ship is undoubtedly an impressive feat, many environmentalists are concerned by the amount of waste such a ship might produce.[v]
Federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Transportation and environmental organizations like Friends of the Earth have demanded stricter environmental regulations for cruise liners.[vi] Regulating cruise ships can be tricky as they are governed by various regulations, including maritime, federal, and local law.[vii] To address environmental concerns, the U.S. Department of Transportation is implementing a decarbonization initiative at U.S. shipping ports.[viii] The Secretary of Transportation has also proposed similar international regulations to the International Maritime Organization.[ix] However, cruise liners have tried to avoid increased environmental regulations by boasting of their sustainability initiatives.[x]
Royal Caribbean’s ships, including Icon of the Seas, are equipped with energy-efficient technology limiting the amount of greenhouse gases they produce and advanced water treatment programs intended to remove contaminants from water waste.[xi] In addition, Icon of the Seas is powered by liquified natural gas (LNF), an alternative to standard fuel.[xii] It will eventually use fuel cell technology, which emits less greenhouse gases than traditional fuel sources, to power some parts of the ship.[xiii] The problem is that although LNF releases less carbon dioxide, it has higher methane emissions, which are more detrimental to the atmosphere over time than carbon dioxide.[xiv] As for the fuel cell technology, it might not even be ready until 2029.[xv] Additionally, Royal Caribbean has acted contrary to its sustainability initiative by creating monstrosities like Icon of the Seas. The larger the cruise liner, the more greenhouse gases and pollutants are emitted, and even the “greener” technology installed aboard Icon of the Seas cannot prevent it from hurting the environment.[xvi]
All that is to say, Royal Caribbean’s supposed sustainability efforts are not enough without increased environmental regulation of cruise liners. Environmentalists agree that a company truly committed to sustainability would not introduce a ship like Icon of the Seas.[xvii] More international regulation of cruise liners, like that proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, is needed.[xviii] Regulations regarding the size of cruise liners and the type of energy-efficient technology they must be equipped with, including greater enforcement for breaches of environmental rules, could be the answer to reversing the cruise industry’s trend of creating bigger cruise liners that will cause greater harm to the environment.[xix]
[i] Ceylan Yeginsu, Can the World’s Largest Cruise Ship Really Be Climate Friendly?, The New York Times (Jan. 23, 2024), https://www.transportation.gov/mission/safety/passenger-cruise-ship-information#:~:text=The%20Coast%20Guard%20conducts%20routine,with%20applicable%20laws%20and%20regulations [https://perma.cc/58MJ-QYRQ].
[ii] Passenger Cruise Ship Regulation, U.S. Dep't of Transp. (Oct. 22, 2014), https://www.transportation.gov/mission/safety/passenger-cruise-ship-information#:~:text=The%20Coast%20Guard%20conducts%20routine,with%20applicable%20laws%20and%20regulations [https://perma.cc/4THP-TAHK]; Cruise Ships, Friends of the Earth (Feb. 18, 2024), https://foe.org/projects/cruise-ships/?issue=335 [https://perma.cc/Q5M9-F37T].
[iii] Supra note 1.
[iv] Id.
[v] Id.
[vi] Cruise Ships, supra note 2; Maritime Updates – December 2023, U.S. Dep't of Transp. (Dec. 19, 2023), https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/climate-and-sustainability/maritime-updates-december-2023 [https://perma.cc/Q5CG-YLT8].
[vii]Passenger Cruise Ship Regulations, supra note 2.
[viii] Maritime Updates – December 2023, supra note 6.
[ix] Id.
[x] Supra note 1.
[xi] Id.
[xii] Id.
[xiii] Id.
[xiv] Id.
[xv] Id.
[xvi] Id.
[xvii] Id.
[xviii] Maritime Updates – December 2023, supra note 6.
[xix] The Cruise Industry’s History of Environmental Violations, Friends of the Earth (Feb. 18, 2024), https://foe.org/cruise-history-violations/ [https://perma.cc/69G6-GHY4].