Which segment of the Shipping Industry has the toughest environmental standards? Dockyard and ship repair facilities have to adhere to
strict clean water and discharge permit standards. Oil tankers meet stringent conditions regarding spill preparedness, hull configurations and the like. But, who has the toughest?
It could be argued that amoungst ship
owners, the cruise liners must adhere to some of the strictest scrutiny of all. Why? Not only because of EPA, state, local and Coast Guard monitoring. Cruise Liners must daily face the tightest, stingiest, most
critical monitor of all. The Public.
Unlike other ship owners whose interaction is primarily
indirect, cruise lines face the public continually. Thousands of passengers' eyes are upon their every move as well as hundreds of video camera amateurs ready to sell presumed
infractions to the nearest news program. Even if a cruise ship is fully complying to regulations, i.e. discharging gray water in permitted areas, pseudo-paparazzi will point their
camcorders about the vessel in an accusatory fashion.
All this scrutiny puts cruise ships in the line of fire of environmental non-governmental organizations (e-NGOs). At the Marine Environmental Engineering Technology
Symposium (MEETS) 2001 last month, Don Kim of M. Rosenblatt & Son and Jack Polderman of Lloyds Register discussed how e-NOGs and regulators are affecting the cruise ship industry and how the industry is changing to
adopt a more environmentally conscious outlook.
The Bluewater Network Petition
In March of 2000, the cruise ship industry received a jolt by way of a coalition of
e-NGOs joined together under the title Bluewater Network. Kim explained that Bluewater Network petitioned the U.S. EPA to take an active role in monitoring cruise ships.
Kim believes the Bluewater Network "kicked things off" with regards to the recent surge of environmental regulations over cruise liners. Their petition requested EPA
to assess discharges, identify impacts and recommend means to control, regulate and monitor the industry. In response, the EPA as well as others launched a series of
new proposals and regulations aimed at controlling cruise ships via environmental enforcement.
Immediately following the petition, EPA initiated an inter-agency working group and
held public meetings. Six months later, they issued the Cruise Ship White Paper outlining their suggestions and opinions on a response to the Bluewater Network Petition.
Not to be outdone,
U.S. Congress quickly followed with its' own legislation. Sponsored by Alaskan Senator
Murkowski, the bill put into law operational practices already in place on may cruise ships. Focusing on Alaskan waters, the new law requires a determination of water discharge practices such as allowable
limits, penalties and documentation.
Kim notes that new initiatives in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) popped-up following the Bluewater Network petition. In June of 2000 the USCG
began Operation Cruise Watch. During a three month period, cruise ships in Alaskan waters were aggressively inspected and reviewed. The USCG monitored discharges from cruise liners as well as special on-board testing.
In addition to all the other efforts, Kim said new legislation also came out of State's governments. These include an Alaska Cruise Ship Initiative, a Florida Dept. of
Environmental Protection memorandum of understanding with the cruise ship industry and recent California proposals focusing on air emissions and ballast water.
Cruise Industry Responds
In a business very sensitive to the opinions of their passengers, the cruise industry has no choice but to respond aggressively to anti-industry publicity. Following the
petition, cruise line companies as well as class societies acted quickly to show they could accommodate environmental concerns.
Kim notes that under the guidance of the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL)
and the USCG, waste management guidelines were formulated. These guidelines seek to establish a uniform code of practice to keep passenger liners environmentally
conscious. He points out that additional pollution control studies are underway, with the support of ICCL and other cruise industry associations. These studies intend
to clarify for all parties how water discharge and other practices affect the marine environment within which the ships are operating.
Jack Polderman of Lloyds Register also spoke about Cruise Ship initiatives at MEETS
2001. Polderman described some of the work underway by the class societies, specifically environmental class or "green" designations for vessels.
According to Polderman, cruise lines are more likely to request environmental
designations than any other type of owner. The desire to have an environmental class certification on a cruise ship is a lot higher because problems on cruise vessels show up on the front page of newspapers, he said.
Lloyds Register has developed an environmental class designation called Environmental Protection Rules for the Control of Operational Pollution or EP Rules.
Vessels with an EP notation will have proven to the public that they meet an environmental performance standard beyond that required by international maritime authorities such as ISM and MARPOL.
Complying with EP Rules is not easy. Owners must show an exemplary level of commitment to environmental protection in areas such as operational performance,
and pollution control and protection. Polderman points out that it is very expensive to comply on older ships, particularly because older engines cannot meet stricter air pollution standards and must be replaced.
EP Rules cover a host of environmental requirements in areas such as hull anti-fouling, ballast water management, protected fuel tanks , gray water, NOx, SOx,
air emissions, refrigeration systems and fire-fighting systems. Modifying a ship to conform to all these issues creates a significant burden to cruise ship operators.
Benefits, according to Polderman, are not solely associated with increasing public sentiment. Some port nations such as Sweden are considering reduced port dues for
vessels when they show the EP notation. This may help offset the expenses involved and may provide further incentive to obtain the notation.
Polderman, Kim and others point out that the cruise industry has had a history of
environmental compliance long before the Bluewater Network Petition. CQD Journal first reported on cruise ship environmental initiatives back in 1995 after Princess
Lines was caught dumping waste overboard. At the time, the company enacted a number of waste reduction and management programs.
It seems clear however, that the cruise ship industry has failed to make the public
aware of their actions. Reacting to bad headlines in the press is very much a defensive measure. Cruise Line organizations need to better publicize their
environmental efforts. This can be accomplished either in broad media campaigns or simply through participation in local environmental efforts. Anti-shipping
sentiments can be relieved much more successfully by providing examples of past participation as opposed to promises of future compliance.
The cruise lines have a vested interest in maintain
ing the pristine environment of the ports they are calling. The paying
passenger is not going to book return trips to an area he feels has become polluted with ship's sewage and waste. The successful cruise companies of the future will be those that can prove they are helping to keep the
environment in which they operate clean and environmentally sound.
