ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATORY ACTIONS

IN THE CRUISE INDUSTRY

Shamira Zaima M. Pacasum
Hanimah L. Sacaria
BS-Tourism
Mindanao State University

The cruise ship industry has experienced an enormous growth in terms of popularity, size, and variety of destinations in the last years, with
bigger and more luxurious ships designed to meet the also growing demand for cruising as a holiday option the offers beauty, adventure, relaxation
and entertainment to passengers from across the world. As cruise ships get larger and more luxurious, they also produce more waste. Recently, U.S
Environmental Protection Agency estimated that, during a one-week voyage, a large cruise ship with capacity for 3,000 passengers and crewmembers
can produce around 210,000 gallons (794, 850 L) of sewage stream, one million gallons (3.785 million L) of greywater, 25,000 gallons (95,000 L) of
oily bilge water, 150 gallons (568 L) of hazardous wastes, 8 tons of solid waste and a difficult-to-calculate quantity of air pollutants, which must be
multiplied by the more than 200 cruise ships currently plying the world’s waterways 365 days a year. In fact, it has been suggested that cruise ships
constitute about 77% of the marine pollution worldwide.

1.0 Introduction
Before the dominance of air travel, which began to enjoy
commercial success in the late 1960s, passenger liners were
the preferred mode of overseas travel. Ships changed very
little during the first half of this century. Although engine
efficiency improved, passenger staterooms, public lounges,
and deck space on a cruise ship built in the 1950s were not
much different than those on the S.S. Titanic. Most of the so-
called modern ships plying the waters during this time
copied the amenities and grand styling of past steamships.
Their purpose remained the same as well. Oceangoing
vessels were primarily used to get from Point A to Point B,
especially for second- and third-class passengers, whose
accommodations were in stark contrast to those in first-class
staterooms. The most common voyages were transatlantic
crossings from New York to London. The real blow to the
cruise ship industry came in the 1960s when Boeing began
selling 747s and other aircraft worldwide. Meanwhile, a
global transportation network of airports with regulated
common language and air traffic controllers, in coordination
with the United States Federal Aviation Administration, was
being established. As the decade came to a close, it was no
longer fashionable, practical, or economical to travel by
boat. The age of the jumbo jet had arrived. Who is to say
which factors brought the concept of the cruise ship back to
life. It is speculated that shows such in the 1970s classic The
Love Boat contributed to the idea of luxury cruise ship travel
and that ideas found in this show contributed to a growing
trend of cruise ship travel as a luxury vacation rather than a
means to travel as a necessity.
With Princess Cruises focused on Caribbean itineraries, the
popularity of cruise ship vacations grew by leaps and
bounds. This also marked a time when cruise ship amenities
began to change. Cruise ship travelers of all social classes
would enjoy first-rate rooms and service. Ocean views,
pools, casinos and onboard entertainment are all staples
when it comes to cruise ship travel, as was the case in the
late 70s when more and more cruise ships were being built.
The same is true today. Larger and larger vessels are being
constructed – a trend that has continued in the cruise ship
industry as passengers see bigger and better ships. The
modern cruise industry began in the late 1960s and early
1970s with the founding of Norwegian Cruise Line (1966),
Royal Caribbean International (1968) and Carnival Cruise
Lines (1972), which have remained the largest cruise lines.
The early goal of the cruise industry was to develop a mass
market since cruising was until then an activity for the elite.
A way to achieve this was through economies of scale as
larger ships are able to accommodate more customers as well
as creating additional opportunities for onboard sources of
revenue. The first dedicated cruise ships began to appear in
the 1970s and could carry about 1,000 passengers. By the
1980s, economies of scale were further expanded with cruise
ships that could carry more than 2,000 passengers. The
current large cruise ships have a capacity of about 6,000
passengers. The market for the cruise industry was by then
established and recognized as a full-fledged touristic
alternative directly competing with well-known resorts areas
such as Las Vegas or Orlando.
2.0 Symptoms of the Problem
Symptom 1 It has been suggested that cruise ships constitute about 77%
of the marine pollution world wide.
These wastes represent a significant source of pathogens and toxic
substances that, if not properly treated and disposed of, can have a serious
effect on human health, including disturbance and destruction of fishing
grounds and precious marine ecosystems such as coral reefs.
The most worrying aspect of this whole situation is that cruise ship waste
disposal is highly unregulated, and waste can be dumped just few short
miles off shore (returning later to coasts by ocean currents) rather than
installing appropriate onboard treatment systems.
Symptom 2 Formerly, discharges from most cruise ships usually exceed
the water quality standards established by national authorities and
 international associations and organisms in relation to concentration of
bacteria, metals, hydrocarbons and plastics. In many cases, there was no
monitoring, no enforcement and no recourse for local authorities if cruise
companies violate the existing pollution standards.
Nevertheless, the repeated public exposés of environmental abuses
committed by cruise companies, which include viral and bacterial
epidemics, are a serious problem that have caused these organizations
severe embarrassment and lawsuits, indicating the need for more strict
monitoring of waste discharges, and pressing the industry to adhere to a
new ethical and procedural code in the application of more advanced
waste treatment technologies meeting more rigorous environmental
control standards and procedure.
3.0 Problem
The problem in this case is summarized into following:
1. Although the cruise industry represents just a small portion of the
international maritime activity, and environmental issues associated
with it is not unique to this sector, cruise ships and their passengers
and crews generate a more significant volume of waste and pollutant
emissions, both while underway and docked in port, with an also
more important effect on the subset of ports and coastal areas along
cruise routes.
2. Wastes represent a significant source of pathogens and toxic
substances that, if not properly treated and disposed of, can have a
serious effect on human health, including disturbance and
destruction of fishing grounds and precious marine ecosystems such
as coral reefs.
3. Ships can also be dangerous, with high sexual assault rates, frequent
poisonings, and the ever-present possibility of going overboard.
4. cruise ship waste disposal is highly unregulated, and waste can be
dumped just few short miles off shore (returning later to coasts by
ocean currents) rather than installing appropriate onboard treatment
systems.
5. discharges from most cruise ships usually exceed the water quality
standards established by national authorities and international
associations and organisms in relation to concentration of bacteria,
metals, hydrocarbons and plastics.
6. the repeated public exposés of environmental abuses committed by
cruise companies, which include viral and bacterial epidemics, are a
serious problem that have caused these organizations severe
embarrassment and lawsuits
7. there is a long history of breaking the law, seeking all kinds of
concessions and non-regulation by lobbying and local regulators; in
addition to the progressive accumulation of hundreds of pollution
violations, which have resulted in higher-level enforcement actions
and the payment of millions of dollars in environmental fines for
illegally dumping water waste, garbage and other toxic waste into
coastal and international waters.
8. regular and routine discharge of hazardous waste into the water, use
of permanent piping that allowed oily waste to be discharged
directly overboard, use of bypass pipes allowing employees to avoid
pollution control devices and discharge liquid waste from the ship
without first processing it, failure to keep of records of waste
discharges, presentation of false record books during environmental
pollution investigation procedures, etc.
4.0 Corrective Actions in the Past
1. In this regard, especial attention must by paid to
the pressure from coastal localities and areas
without large commercial port infrastructures,
which complain about air quality problems
derived from gas emissions produced by
shipboard diesel engines and incinerators while in
port.
2. promoting the development and implementation
of diverse monitoring programs for cleaner air
emissions and water and waste.
3. For cruise lines to go green, look for a cleaner
solution
4. Waste & Waste Water Disposal
5. provides various waste and wastewater
technologies to cruise lines including the Micro
Auto Gasification System (MAGS™) and
Wastewater Electrochemical Treatment
Technology (WETT™)
6. Knowing the importance of keeping hulls free of
microorganisms can make a big difference in
vessel performance.
5.0 Corrective actions in the Present
Because the cruise industry already made actions and
solutions to the problems, it is important to keep it that way,
to maintain the regulation and actions to avoid or lessen the
problems they encounter. New IMO regulations are driving
advances in pollution control, and IMO’s Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) Resolution
227(64) requires lower nitrogen and phosphorous levels in
black water discharge in Special Areas (currently only the
Baltic Sea for passenger ships and globally for non-
passenger vessels) to prevent ocean nitrification.
The regulation has helped motivate ACO Marine, which
provides wastewater treatment systems to the cruise
industry, to develop its Bio Sword technology.
6.0Conclusion
With this case, the most worrying aspect of this whole situation is that
cruise ship waste disposal is highly unregulated, and waste can be dumped
just few short miles off shore (returning later to coasts by ocean currents)
rather than installing appropriate onboard treatment systems that is why it
is significant to keep and regulate the different regulations made for the
Cruise industry around the world to keep and maintain the cleanliness in
our water. Without these regulations, cruise industry can be very
dangerous both in environmental and physical aspects of both human and
marine life.