The UK’s cruise capital has seen a sharp rise in methane emissions from cruise ships, a study claims.
Ships at Southampton generated more than 14 tonnes of methane last year, according to a study by Transport & Environment (T&E).
That is 36 times higher than three years ago it says.
It says there is a paradox to liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ships.
They can cause ‘methane slip’ which is the incomplete combustion of methane-based LNG fuels.
“These ships are better in terms of air pollution, but they are extremely damaging from a climate perspective due to methane leaks,” the report says.
It said the rise in methane was the ‘most worrying trend.’
The T&E report found carbon dioxide emissions from Southampton cruise ships was up 14% over three years at 32 tonnes in total.
The port welcomed 44 cruise ships in 2022.
Carnival disputed the framing of the data.
“The science is clear – the most credible peer-reviewed study shows LNG has much lower overall emissions vs. conventional fuels, even factoring in methane slip,” it said.
The company targets carbon-neutral ship operations by 2050.
