Costa Cruises publishes sustainability report
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Carnival subsidiary Costa Cruises has published its seventh environmental report, outlining the firm’s commitment to the green issues.
The document, which was revealed at Seatrade Mediterranean, detailed a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 3.8% decrease in fuel consumption and a huge jump (40%) in the hours spent training.
Specifically, the report detailed the following:
o A 3.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous year due to reduced fuel consumption, representing a 14.5% decrease since 2007. These emissions are measured in terms of ‘specific’ emissions and consider factors such as the total nautical miles sailed during the year and the available lower berth days across the fleet. Various measures directed at reducing energy consumption were implemented to achieve this reduction, such as the use of ecological silicone-based coatings for the ship’s hull, the use of low power consumption LED light bulbs and energy-efficient HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) technology as well as the use of inverters to optimise the performance of fans and blowers in the engine room
o A 50% decrease in emissions of ozone-depleting substances thanks to the replacement of refrigerating and conditioning systems and the gradual conversion of plants containing HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) into systems using HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), which have an ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) of zero
o 71% of the water used on the ships in the Costa fleet is produced directly on board using desalination plants and evaporators
o 2011 saw the launch of the ‘Sustainable cruise’ project co-funded by the European Commission through the ‘Life+’ Programme, the EU’s funding instrument for innovative environmental projects. Costa Cruises is Project Manager of this ‘Sustainable cruise’ project, the world’s first ever shipboard experimental project involving the use of innovative techniques and methods to deal with three specific types of waste – packaging, biodegradable (organic) waste and paper – with precise objectives regarding reduction at the source and recycling. Costa Pacifica (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,780 total guests) was chosen to pilot this project and the initial activities began earlier this year. The ‘Sustainable Cruise’ project dovetails with Costa Cruises’ own waste management policy of 100% separation of solid waste on board, which has been applied fleet-wide for some time now.