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A multi-layered fuel savings initiative has helped Carnival Corporation reduce energy consumption by 24% and has led to $2.5 billion in savings since the program was launched in 2007, the world’s largest cruise line said today.
Carnival Corporation & plc released results from its multi-year “Fleet Fuel Conservation Program”, which by the end of 2014 will have saved more than 1 billion gallons of fuel and reduced fleet carbon emissions by 12 billion kilograms over the seven year period, according to Carnival. This translates into an overall fuel efficiency savings of 24 percent compared to 2007 and approximately $2.5 billion in fuel savings across its fleet of over 100 ships, Carnival said.
Carnival targeted an overall fuel efficiency savings of 20% by 2015 when the program launched. Carnival says that fuel costs represent the company’s single biggest expense.
Efforts to reduce energy usage have included a focus on efficient propulsion through optimized speed and itineraries, the use of new anti-fouling hull coatings, upgraded HVAC systems, LED lighting and water usage and production.
Carnival says it has also experienced significant savings through newbuild vessels, which are built larger and incorporate the latest fuel saving technologies available in shipbuilding. Since 2007, Carnival has added a total of 30 new vessels to its fleet, which now spans nine brands and 101 ships totaling 212,000 lower berths. An additional seven ships are scheduled to be delivered between fall 2014 and summer 2016, Carnival says.
Carnival Corporation is also investing as much as $400 million to design, build and install industry-first scrubber systems to more than 70 percent of its fleet. The system uses filters and seawater to remove pollutants from exhaust gases, significantly advancing cleaner air quality for oceangoing vessels.
“We have made great strides in working together to reduce energy and fuel consumption across our fleet, which is a top priority for us as a company,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “We are very proud of our conservation efforts, but we also realize that doing our part to reduce carbon emissions and help protect the environment is a job that is never complete. We’re committed to building on the momentum of our sustainability initiatives because it is the right thing to do for the environment and our fellow citizens, the passengers and crew on our ships, the communities we visit, and also for our business.”
According to the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, there has been a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the entire global maritime transportation industry from 2007 to 2012.
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