Expedition Cruise Network survey shows members’ plans to slash CO2 emissions

That is according to a new survey on sustainability conducted by the network, whose results are shared a day ahead of its ‘Sustainability and Responsible Travel in Expedition Cruising’ webinar primarily aimed at members of the travel trade interested in learning about sustainability in the context of expedition cruising, including the role citizen science plays, so they can impart the information to their clients. 

Key survey findings 

25% of the 12 cruise line members claimed to be carbon neutral while others, such as Ponant, aim to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, to become carbon neutral in 2040, and hit net zero in 2050. 

over 90% of respondents said they work with citizen science projects and charities, with 43% working with over three and 30% working with more than six.  Happywhale, a citizen science organisation, is one of the most popular organisations expedition cruise lines engage with, followed by eBird, Penguin Watch, The Polar Citizen Science Collective and South Georgia Heritage Trust. 

Latin Trails said that while they achieve carbon neutrality, it is not certified: they hold a protected rainforest reserve in the Amazon. 

75% of respondents have a dedicated in-house resource looking after sustainability and responsible travel, with the other members either seeking external consultants to do the job or fully integrating sustainability into company wide policies. 

Supporting scientists’ research 

Expedition Cruise Network CEO Akvile Marozaite remarked, ‘...While the entire sector is working hard to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reach UN net zero emissions goal by 2050, sustainability is a complex subject and expedition cruising companies are leading the way in addressing it through various initiatives that not only explore how to support conservation, communities, cultures, but often enable scientific research and contribute to helping scientists understand the world. 

‘From ground-breaking innovations such as plans to build the first net zero ship by 2030 to working with local communities to develop local talent and creating economic opportunities, expedition cruise companies have certainly some positive news to share, and I very much look forward to discussing both the challenges and opportunities on this often demanding topic with some exceptional experts in the industry on June 28.’ .

 Latest environmental actions by network members 

Hurtigruten’s initiatives range from banning heavy fuel oil and single-use plastic, to using biofuels. In February last year, it successfully completed the issuance of a new, green, senior unsecured bond issue of €50m, and as part of a major effort to make Hurtigruten Norway's fleet more sustainable, it has invested nearly €100m towards green upgrades which will continue to be implemented across the fleet in 2023 and finished in 2024. This will cut fuel usage and CO2 emissions by up to 25% and NOx emissions by 80%.

Ponant plans to launch a zero environmental impact ship which will be available for scientists. During the last Antarctica season, the line hosted 30 scientists and 10 projects on the board hybrid-electric Le Commandant Charcot, powered by LNG. 

All Hapag-Lloyd Cruises vessels have state-of-the-art seawater desalination systems for drinking water production and four out of the five ships in the fleet use shore power. 

Last month, Swan Hellenic announced a partnership with leading ocean foundations to support a European Union Mission to restore marine biodiversity and reduce emissions at sea. The line’s CEO Andrea Zito spoke about Swan’s efforts to support important ocean research yesterday in Genoa at an EU event held during the city’s Ocean Race Grand Finale. 

Silversea has gained certification in environmental management in the Galapagos Islands and said it is the first operator to divert all waste from landfill disposal in the Galapagos; it receives a traceability document that verifies the responsible movement and disposal of all waste.