Report says air quality on cruise ships comparable to polluted cities

Carnival Freedom was one of four ships where air quality samples were collected. Carnival Freedom was one of four ships where air quality samples were collected. Photo: Andy Newman, HO Photo: Andy Newman, HO Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Report says air quality on cruise ships comparable to polluted cities 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Air quality on the decks of Carnival Corp. cruise ships could be comparable to some of the world's notoriously polluted cities, according to a report released Thursday by environmental advocacy group Stand.earth.

Air quality samples taken from four ships, including the Carnival Freedom from Galveston, measured ultrafine particular pollution as these particles are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs and move into the bloodstream. The samples found concentrations of particulate matter comparable to Beijing and Santiago, Chile. The concentration was often highest near the back of these ships, which the report said was likely caused, in part, by the exhaust system.

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In a statement, Carnival said the tests are "completely ridiculous, inaccurate and in no way represent reality." The company tests air quality aboard its cruises and said the quality meets or exceeds every requirement.

"This particular organization, for fundraising purposes, is constantly in search of a problem in our industry even if it has to create fake tests that really have no scientific basis," the statement said. "The safety of our guests is our top priority, and we undertake our cruises in close coordination with national and international regulatory bodies like the EPA to ensure the utmost safety of our guests and crew."

Stand.earth is using the study to pressure Carnival, the parent company of many cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, to switch from heavy fuel oil to a cleaner-burning fuel while installing filters that help reduce ultrafine particulate pollution. The study was only done aboard Carnival ships.

Lower sulfur emissions will be required in less than a year, anyway, as new global limits go into effect. Ships can reach these levels by using low-sulfur fuels or by installing a scrubber system that removes sulfur from their exhaust.

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Kendra Ulrich, senior shipping campaigner for Stand.earth, wants Carnival to switch to a cleaner-burning fuel rather than use scrubber systems. Some, called open-loop scrubbers, have been criticized for essentially taking pollution out of the air but putting it in the water, she said. They use seawater to remove sulfur from a ship's emissions, then return that water — along with the sulfur — to the ocean.

"We are asking this company to step forward to become an environmental leader in the sector," Ulrich said during a conference call.

Carnival said it does use seawater as part of its scrubber system, but it has installed several filter systems that the water goes through before returning to the ocean. It meets the stringent sulfur standards as well as standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Online, Carnival Corp. reported having reduced its emissions by 26.3 percent at the end of fiscal year 2017 compared with its 2005 baseline. It's also investing in LNG-powered cruise ships.

The report was commissioned by Stand.earth. Ryan Kennedy, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, conducted the research.