Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card | Friends of the Earth

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card | Friends of the Earth

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Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. Yet, most travelers don’t realize that taking a cruise is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. The 2010 Cruise Ship Report Card lets vacationers decide which cruise to take based on a cruise ship or cruise line’s environmental and human health impacts.

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What Can You Do About It? You Can Choose a Greener Cruise! All cruise lines are not the same! You can choose a greener cruise! With new ships that can carry more than 8,000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use and enjoy. Friends of the Earth’s 2nd annual Cruise Ship Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 11 major cruise lines and 113 cruise ships.

2010 CRUISE SHIP ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT CARD

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Cruise Lines	Sewage Treatment	Air Pollution Reduction	Water Quality Compliance	Change From 2009	2010 Final Grade
	Sewage Treatment Has the cruise line installed on its ships the most advanced sewage and wastewater treatment systems available instead of dumping minimally treated sewage directly into the water? In determining a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.	Air Pollution Reduction Has the cruise line retrofitted its ships with “plug-in” technology to be able to use available shoreside electrical grids instead of running polluting engines when docked? In determining the Air Pollution Reduction grade, only ships that dock at North American ports with shoreside power hookups (Juneau, AK; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Vancouver B.C.) were graded.	Water Quality Compliance To what degree cruise ships violated 2009 water pollution standards designed to better protect the Alaskan coast. In determining the Water Quality Compliance grade for cruise ships operating in Alaska, we used the notices of violation issued to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for individual cruise ships.	2009 Cruise Ship Report Card This column indicates where there is a change in an individual final Cruise Line grade between 2009 and 2010. up arrow Grade Went Up down arrow Grade Went Down side to side No Grade Change N/A Not Graded in 2009 Click here to see the 2009 Cruise Report Card	Curved Grading Scale A 100-85 Excellent B 84-70 Satisfactory C 69-50 Needs Work D 49-25 Poor F 24-0 Unacceptable N/A Not Graded No Discharge In Alaskan Waters For the cruise ship report card, we graded 11 cruise lines and the 113 cruise ships of those 11 lines operating in U.S. waters. All cruise ships from each cruise line were included in this report card. Friends of the Earth relied on data gathered from the internet, government, cruise line industry, and other public sources in order to determine the grades assigned to the cruise lines. Friends of the Earth did not independently verify that the technology graded in the report card was installed on the individual cruise ships beyond corresponding with the cruise lines to verify the data gathered. When Friends of the Earth provided research information to the cruise lines for verification, some cruise lines responded with specifics and others did not.
Holland America Line Holland America Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line	B+	C-	B+		B-
Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Cruise Lines controls nine percent of the North American market and, along with Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, is considered one of the 'big three' corporations which dominate the U.S. cruise ship market. Find out more about how we graded this line	A	C-	C+		B-
Princess Cruises Princess Cruises is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line	C+	A-	D+		C+
Cunard Cruise Line Cunard Cruise Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line	A	F	No Alaska Voyages		C-
Disney Cruise Line Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line founded by the Walt Disney Company in 1995 with a cruise ship fleet consisting of two large ships - the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Find out more about how we graded this line	A	F	No Alaska Voyages	Most Improved	C-
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Regent Seven Seas Cruises is owned by Apollo Management which owns 50% of Norwegian Cruise Lines and it operates three cruise ships worldwide. Find out more about how we graded this line	C+	F	A		C-
Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, the world’s second-largest cruise line operator. Find out more about how we graded this line	A	F	N/A		D+
Royal Caribbean Int'l Royal Caribbean International is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, the world’s second-largest cruise line operator. Royal Caribbean International’s fleet includes the two largest cruise ships ever built, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Launched in late 2009, Oasis of the Seas is the size of a small town, accommodating more than 8,100 passengers and crew. Allure of the Seas, launching in December 2010, will tie Oasis for the infamous distinction of being one of the two largest cruise ships on the planet. Find out more about how we graded this line	D+	F	A-		D+
Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Lines is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line	F	F	A		D-
Silversea Cruises Silversea Cruises is headquartered in the city-state of Monaco in Western Europe and it operates six cruise ships worldwide. Find out more about how we graded this line	F	F	B-		D-
Crystal Cruises Crystal Cruises is a subsidiary of a Japanese shipping company and it operates two cruise ships worldwide - the Crystal Serenity and the Crystal Symphony. Find out more about how we graded this line	F	F	No Alaska Voyages	N/A	F