Sailing to a
Better Future

Protecting the oceans that we sail is vitally important. Find out how cruise lines are investing in environmental technologies onboard and protecting ocean habitats.

Explore the ship Find out more

A circular economy onboard

Cruise lines use sophisticated processes to remove, reuse, recycle and convert waste to energy.

100% of waste generated onboard is repurposed on some ships.

Managing fuel consumption

Air lubrication systems create microscopic bubbles to reduce drag as ships move through water and help to reduce fuel consumption. Special hull coatings also reduce friction and therefore fuel consumption.

Millions of microscopic bubbles coat some ships’ hulls and reduce drag.

Sustainable wastewater management

Advanced wastewater treatment systems often exceed those of shoreside treatment plants.

100% of new ships on order will have advanced wastewater treatment systems.

Safeguarding ocean habitats

Every cruise ship receives multiple inspections each year – announced and unannounced - to ensure implementation of strict environmental and safety regulations.

Cruise lines are required to implement thousands of requirements set by the IMO, ILO, national maritime and other relevant authorities.

Driving Innovation for the Future

CLIA publishes an annual report showing progress towards achieving the industry’s vision of net zero carbon cruising globally by 2050. The 2022 report shows the changes that are happening now across the cruise fleet.

TODAY, THE CLIA OCEAN-GOING MEMBER FLEET INCLUDES:

• 11
  LNG-powered ocean-going cruise ships sailing today 23 more ships currently on order
• 78%
  of CLIA global capacity equipped with advanced wastewater treatment +9%
  since 2021
• 14.1
  average age of the ships in the CLIA ocean-going fleet 4 years younger than the average age of cruise ships sailing
• 79%
  of CLIA global capacity utilises exhaust gas cleaning systems +7%
  since 2021
• 40%
  of CLIA global capacity able to connect to shoreside electricity +20% since 2021

Driving Innovation for the Future

The annual environmental report also shows the innovations that will be included in ships to be launched over the next five years.

BY 2028, THE CLIA OCEAN-GOING FLEET WILL INCLUDE:

• 32
  CLIA cruise ships powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) 61% of new-build CLIA ships will rely on LNG for primary propulsion
• 171
  CLIA cruise ships equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) 88% of capacity of non-LNG new-build ships will have EGCS
• 209
  CLIA cruise ships equipped with shoreside power connectivity (SSE) 98% of new-build capacity will have or be able to add SSE in the future
• 235
  CLIA cruise ships equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) 100% of new-build CLIA ships are specified to have AWTS

Learn about the cruise industry’s approach to sustainability