One step forward, two steps back as UK Cruise Growth Plan is published

At the start of London International Shipping Week, the government announced a £448 million investment into the UK maritime sector, to ‘slash emissions from shipping, cementing the UK as a clean energy superpower.’ But…

But those concerned with the environmental and air quality impact of shipping on the UK’s coastal towns will be less pleased with the fact that the Government has also announced a UK Cruise Growth Plan, to help the industry overcome barriers to its growth. 

The Department for  Transport describe plan as including ‘commitments from Government and the cruise industry, to further support the sector by securing continued private investment for growth, benefitting the UK economy, UK ports and coastal communities.’

While the Government’s investment in port infrastructure is welcome it is counterintuitive to expect a great deal of improvement in air quality if the number of ships arriving at UK ports is to increase. 

Last year Friends of the Earth published a Cruise Ship Report Card, scoring 243 ships from 21 cruise lines from A to F on a variety of environmental metrics, including air pollution.

They explained: ‘To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, ships that dock at a port and plug in to available shoreside power hookups were graded. In addition, ships were given credit if they utilize low sulfur fuels continuously worldwide at levels lower than required by international law.

‘Ships were downgraded if they have adopted the use of liquified natural gas which emits significantly more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions over the short-term than low sulfur fuel. Use of scrubbers is not considered since the significant majority of scrubbers in use by the cruise industry simply convert air pollution emissions into water pollution through their scrubber wastewater discharges.’

Two cruise lines scores A, albeit that both are separate entities within the Hurtigruten Group. No Bs were awarded and seven cruise lines scored C. Eight scored D and four F.

A 2023 Transport & Environment report revealed that not only was the luxury cruise market back to its pre-pandemic levels, it was polluting the air around European ports more intensively than before.

Compared to 2019, the number of cruise ships, the time they spent around ports and the fuel they consumed all increased by about a quarter. This resulted in an increase of 9% in SOx emissions, 18% in NOx and 25% in PM2.5 emissions.

That report included six recommendations for reducing the environmental and health impacts of these behemoths but only one of them pertained to port infrastructure, that cruise ships should either connect to shore-side electricity or provide their own zero-emission technology to power the ship in port.

The other recommendations were primarily putting the onus onto EU lawmakers and the cruise companies themselves.

As such, in environmental terms, the £448 million investment in port infrastructure seems to represent a step forward, while the UK Cruise Growth Plan (which doesn’t mention emissions once) is the two steps back.