FILE PHOTO: 70th Cannes Film Festival – Cannes, France. 15/05/2017 – A man walks on the Croisette as the MSC Orchestra Cruise ship is seen in the bay before the start of the festival. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
By Michel Bernouin CANNES, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Mediterranean resort town Cannes, France’s fourth-biggest cruise ship port, will ban the most polluting cruise ships from next year in a bid to boost air quality in the city.
The ban will target ships that do not respect a 0.1% cap on sulfur in their fuel and could stop some passengers from disembarking in the city famous for its film festival.
“It’s not about being against cruise ships. It’s about being against pollution,” Cannes Mayor David Lisnard told Reuters Television in an interview.
Under the European Union’s clean air policy, the cap is already enforced in Baltic, North Sea and Channel ports and it may be extended to the Mediterranean.
Cruise ships run on fuel oil which contains about 2,000 times more sulfur oxide than ordinary diesel, according to German pollution analyst Axel Friedrich.
“We will no longer accept cruise ship passengers coming from polluting cruise ships,” Lisnard said.
The exponential growth of the cruise ship industry is often criticized by residents of tourist towns but it is also increasingly considered a threat to the environment.
Three months ago, Italy’s main conservation group said Venice should be put on the United Nations’ list of endangered cities and cruise ships should be banned from its fragile lagoon to prevent an ecological disaster.
According to figures from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the industry’s main trade association, 30 million passengers are expected to cruise on almost 300 ships this year, up from 17.8 million 10 years ago.
In July, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which represents 40 percent of Cannes’ maritime traffic, signed a Cruise Charter agreement with the city of Cannes, promising to make its ships more environmentally friendly. (Reporting by Michel Bernouin Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten Editing by Geert De Clercq and Kirsten Donovan)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 110,240 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
By Dimitri Rhodes Nov 7 (Reuters) – Belgian oil tanker company CMB Tech says it will focus on the fast growing market in India as it reported third quarter results...
In a bold move amidst Russia’s intensified rocket attacks on civilian ships and Ukrainian ports, Maersk has launched a new weekly container service into Ukraine, signaling resilience in the country’s...
By Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg) A tanker of Canadian crude was shipped from Vancouver to Alaska for the first time in at least 10 years as the recently expanded Trans Mountain pipeline...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 110,240 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
