About 50 climate protesters blocked the departure of a cruise ship from the German port of Kiel on Sunday, trying to call attention to the "catastrophic local and global consequences of cruises" as well as the poor working conditions aboard.



A group calling itself Smash Cruiseshit used small boats and climbing equipment to delay the Zuiderdam, owned and operated by the British-American cruise company Holland America Line. They also occupied a crane on the harbor quay.

A police operation to clear the protesters took several hours and involved special forces. Police eventually arrested the protesters and confiscated their vessels, leaving the ship free to depart at about 10 p.m.

Read more: Think diesel cars are dirty? Try ships!

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury Cruise the ocean, destroy the planet NABU, the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, has published its 2017 cruise ship rankings and the results show how little progress the industry has made when it comes to pollution. Of 77 cruise ships assessed, 76 use toxic heavy fuel oil. NABU says that by using this fuel, one single giant liner will emit as much pollution as 5 million cars would on the same route.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury A noble exception AIDAnova is the only ship on the list which is powered by the less harmful LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). It is a new ship on the market, built by the Meyer shipyard in the northwestern German area of Papenburg. It is the first of seven next-generation LNG-powered cruise ships ordered by leisure travel company Carnival.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury A tad less destructive New additions to the portfolios of companies such as TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (the 'Europa 2' is pictured here) are at least using nitric oxide reduction techniques through selective catalytic reduction. They also can use electric shorepower when docked at port.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury The fresh, ocean air? Good one! Many cruise liners do not have soot particle filters or diesel particulate filters, making the air above the ocean giants anything but fresh and clean. The density of fine particles on deck can be anything up to 20 times that of a busy street.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury Breath easier at the captain's table, and beyond The NABU survey praises the innovation of AIDAnova and suggests that others should look to emulate its lead. Should other cruise liners convert to LPG, residents of coastal areas would benefit from improved air quality.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury A cleaner planet? Not quite However, LNG is far from a panacea if a recent study by the Transport and Environment organization is to be believed. It does not identify LNG has having significant advantages over diesel when it comes to climate protection. It is increasingly obvious that massive technological changes in shipping are required.

Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury No cruising here, thanks "No entry for dirty cruise ships" — that's what NABU head Leif Miller thinks is needed, as no major technological shift is in sight for the industry. Given the impact dirty cruise liners have on the health of residents unfortunate enough to live close to their pathways, some kind of drastic action is needed it seems. Author: Kolja Unger (aos)



'Cruises kill climate'

During the protest, the activists unfurled a banner that read "Cruises kill climate." The group and associated climate organizations posted live updates of the action on Twitter.

According to German nature organization Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU), a single cruise ship can emit as much pollution as 1 million cars, when looking at certain pollutants, due to the use of heavy fuels.

Read more: Hoping for a fresh sea breeze aboard a cruise ship? Better hold your nose!

Cruise ships are phasing out the use of high-sulfur fuels, but are generally circumventing emissions targets by using seawater systems to wash their dirty fuel and flush the pollutants back into the water.

Action group Friends of the Earth has rated international cruise liners for their environmental damage. Overall, Holland America Line was middle of the pack with a C grade; however, the Zuiderdam ship was ranked highly for its environmental controls.

Watch video 02:15 Share Cruise ships - Toxic waste on the high seas Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/18bCA What's the environmental impact of cruises?

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