cruise ships and greenwashing
Greenwashing makes people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is. It can manifest itself in many ways by presenting activities, products and services as more environmentally friendly or sustainable than they really are.
Sustainable tourism is a concept that many cruise lines have adopted in marketing campaigns, but in practice, cruise ships have negative impacts that harm the environment and port communities they claim to respect.
Cruise ships are known to bring overcrowding, noise, traffic, air and marine pollution to ports which is contrary to many industry talking points.
What is the environmental footprint of cruise ships?
The 2024 Friends of the Earth Cruise Ship Report Card compared the environmental footprint of cruise ships based on sewage treatment, air pollution reduction, water quality compliance, and transparency for cruise ships calling upon Victoria in 2025. 85% of the ships visiting Victoria in 2025 score either a “D” or and “F” grade.
What is an example of a criminal conviction for cruise ship polluting?
In 2016, five of Carnival’s Princess Line ships were found to use equipment to circumvent pollution control systems. Four of the five found to be purposely polluting the oceans had been port-of-call ships in Victoria.
In addition to the $40 million fine for dumping oily waste into the ocean, Carnival’s Princess Cruises pleaded guilty to seven felony charges, relating to what US officials called “a campaign of obstruction in an effort to hide the deliberate pollution”. In 2020 a court found Carnival had violated the terms of its 2016 probation, and assessed a further $20 million in fines.
In 2022, Carnival’s Princess Cruises was found to have violated probation due to its criminal conviction for environmental crimes a second time.
Do cruise ships discharge pollutants along Canada’s Pacific Coast?
Yes. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, all ships equipped with scrubbers discharged over 88 million tonnes of wash water on Canada’s Pacific Coast. Cruise ships accounted for nearly 46% of the total scrubber wash water discharged in 2022. Scrubber wash water contained 226 kg of PAHphe and nearly 26,000 kg of metals.
Read the report from Environment Canada about the impact of scrubbers in our waters.
Are cruise ships a threat to killer whale populations?
It appears so. Environment and Climate Change Canada estimates that over 26 million tonnes of scrubber wash water was discharged into Southern Resident Killer Whale habitat in 2022, including 69 kg of PAHphe and over 8,000 kg of metals. Cruise ships accounted for 44% of the wash water discharge and 40% of the PAHphe and 44% of metals in this habitat. Environment Canada has added scrubber wash water discharges to their online tool called the Pollutants Affecting Whales and their Prey Inventory Tool due to their significance as a source of pollution.
Read the report from Environment Canada about the impact of scrubbers in our waters.