A frustrated resident documented a surprising and wasteful practice of massive cruise ships that dock in port cities.
On average, ocean cruise ships are typically around 1,000 feet long and can hold a couple of thousand passengers. Massive diesel engines are usually utilized not only to propel these gargantuan vessels but also to supply electricity to the interior.
As noted by TikToker Anna Masiello (@hero_to_0), these massive diesel engines can lead to a world of environmental and health issues for nearby communities.
@hero_to_0 living by the sea, I see cruise ships all too often, and I hate everything they represent - fast tourism, quantity over quality, waste, pollution and health risks in most ports worldwide, they leave their engines running 24/7 to maintain power, while locals and people on land breathe in this poison 🛳️💨 researcher Axel Friedrich has recorded alarming peaks of particulate matter and black carbon near these ships, with levels up to 10 times higher than in cleaner areas 😰 Nitrogen dioxide levels, too, have been observed at 4 to 5 times the threshold considered safe for human health is the convenience of cruise tourism worth the severe environmental and health costs? #cruiseship #cruise #sustainability ♬ Walking Around - Instrumental Version - Eldar Kedem
In a short clip, Masiello captured a cruise ship that had docked at a nearby port. Although the ship was not going anywhere, Masiello said its engines were constantly running. A shocking amount of what appeared to be exhaust was seen pouring out of multiple stacks.
"Living by the sea, I see cruise ships all too often, and I hate everything they represent," Masiello wrote. "Fast tourism, quantity over quality, waste, pollution and health risks."
According to a 2019 press release from Transport & Environment, the world's largest cruise ship company at the time, Carnival Corporation, "emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide around European coasts than did all 260 million European cars in 2017."
One type of sulfur oxide is sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide can have significant negative impacts on the environment and on human health. It can contribute to acid rain, damage vegetation, and negatively impact marine life, leading to habitat loss and reduced biodiversity. It can also lead to respiratory system complications in humans.
A 2021 study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin pointedly criticized the cruise ship industry for its detrimental effects on the planet. The team of researchers wrote that "cruising, despite technical advances and some surveillance programmes, remains a major source of air, water (fresh and marine) and land pollution affecting fragile habitats, areas and species, and a potential source of physical and mental human health risks."
Masiello said in the video, "Unfortunately the majority of ports globally do not yet offer shorepower." But what if that option could be made available — and what if that energy source could be a clean, renewable one?
A recent report from the Clean Arctic Alliance said that measurements taken in mid-May when cruise ships were in Cork, Ireland, "show air pollution levels up to more than 250 times higher than safe levels recommended by the World Health Organization."
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Definitely 👍 Kåre Press-Kristensen, who took the measurements in Ireland, is a senior advisor on air quality and climate at Green Global Future. He called for a change that rings true with Masiello's video.
"To protect residents from the health hazards of burning fossil fuels while cruise ships in port, Cobh [in County Cork] must install shore power facilities to reduce the pollution, which will allow ships to connect to the electricity grid instead of idle running and polluting all day."
In the comments section of Masiello's video, the overwhelming majority of viewers expressed similar disgust with the idling ship's pollution.
"That's horrible!!!!" exclaimed one.
"We have this in Miami too! We have to stop it!" another viewer wrote.
"Imagine what they dump in the water," pondered a third.
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