Carnival Corporation’s large investment in green technology will see it spend $400 million to develop and install systems designed to improve the quality of air emissions. The company has told Travel Daily that the measures further reinforce its commitment to the environment. Mike Kaczmarek, vice president of corporate marine technology for Carnival Corporation stated: “This is part of our ongoing focus on evaluating new technologies, employing new shipbuilding techniques and implementing energy-saving initiatives throughout our fleet to protect the health and vitality of the oceans, seas and communities in which we operate.”
The works being undertaken on the cruise ships are the fitting of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems onto 60 ships across. The new air systems will improve the quality of air emissions from its ships. The primary aim is to reduce emissions of sulfur compounds and particulate matter from a ship’s engine exhaust, working at any operating stage (such as when the boat is at sea, during maneuvering or in port). The systems will minimize the sulfur content released from fuel oil to just 0.1 percent, as well as lowering carbon emissions.
The most common source of air pollution is the combustion of fossil fuels, and one of the emissions of concern is with sulfur dioxide, which contributes to acid rain. The emission, when at high levels, can be harmful to human health. It irritates the nose, throat, and airways to cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. One concern with large ships is that emissions of air pollutants like sulfur dioxide can travel long distances. This is one reason why the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreed to set a cap on the sulfur content of marine fuels, with the cap due to be in place by 2020.
Carnival Corporation’s sulfur reduction program is in line with other steps the company has taken to reduce its carbon footprint, including the adoption of liquefied natural gas, or LNG (the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel). The fuel is odorless, colorless, toxic and non-corrosive. It terms of environmental protection, LNG produces about 30 percent less carbon dioxide than burning petroleum and about 45 per cent less than burning coal.
