Dispatches goes undercover on Oceana to expose environmental impact of cruising

The environmental damage caused by cruises will be under the spotlight in Channel 4’s Dispatches programme tonight.

The programme will reportedly claim that investigators standing on the deck of P&O Cruises ship Oceana found air pollution was more than double the pollution recorded at Piccadilly Circus in central London.

In the programme, environmentalists claim one cruise ship emits as much particulate matter every day as 1 million cars.

The Dispatches programme will also claim cruise ships are also largely unregulated when it comes to flushing out ‘grey water’ from sinks and showers.

"Although there are local regulations, there are no global regulations despite the fact the water can contain pollutants such as cooking oil, detergents, soaps and food waste," Dispatches said.

"Grey water is believed to have similar environmental impacts to sewage. It would be illegal to dump it in rivers on land, but not at sea."

Dispatches said the programme will investigate whether cruise shops could also be damaging to a passenger’s health.

"Among scientists there is growing concern around particulates that cruise ships emit as a by-product of burning fuel," it said.

"Some of these particles are so small that they can’t be seen under a microscope. These ultra-fine particles are thought to penetrate the deepest into our bodies, to enter into the bloodstream and our organs."

But P&O parent Carnival insisted cruise lines comprise less than 1% of the global commercial maritime industry of more than 50,000 commercial maritime vessels.

"Although a tiny fraction of the global maritime industry, cruise lines are leaders in implementing alternative fuels and emission reduction technology. The industry has invested more than $10 billion in new ships that can use alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG)," said a spokesman today.

"We continue to invest heavily in environmental technology for Oceana and for all ships across the fleet. In keeping with this environmental strategy, EGCS will be fitted on Oceana in dry dock later this year. These EGCS will significantly reduce sulphur oxides (SOX), soot and particulate matter."

CLIA UK and Ireland added: "CLIA member cruise lines take great care to ensure that each new generation of ships is more eco-friendly than the previous one and our members are committed to fitting existing ships with the latest technology as part of continued improvements across the industry.

"Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the cruise lines’ economic models and it has been the absolute leader in the development and deployment of environmental technology innovations for decades. CLIA members have invested more than a billion dollars in technologies to minimise emissions and alternative fuel orders are in place for 87 cruise ships between 2017 and 2026.

"We take our environmental commitment very seriously and will continue to focus on improvement in this area as a priority across the sector."