Cruise Industry in Baltic Sea Region Focuses on Increasing Sustainability

Twenty-nine cruise destinations in the Baltic Sea region have just signed a new manifesto focused on stepping up their sustainability efforts including addressing such challenges as air pollution and congestion.

The Cruise Baltic Sustainability Manifesto was signed at an international cruise conference in Copenhagen that took place this week.

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All 29 participating destinations at the conference, (a total of seven countries) signed the new document, which officials called an important step forward.

“It is a prerequisite for the work on green transformation in the cruise industry that there is agreement among cities, ports and shipping companies to make a sustained effort,” said Claus Bodker, director of Cruise Baltic. “Thus, this manifesto represents a major step towards a more sustainable future and it is fantastic to experience such great support and motivation across the entire industry.”

The sustainability manifesto's focus is on reducing air pollution and congestion in the Baltic Sea region’s ports and cities.

The conference also included the presentation of a number of recommendations and technological solutions that could contribute to fulfilling green targets for the region’s cruise destinations.

Major conference topics and themes included onshore power supply and also congestion.

Wonderful Copenhagen, for instance, showed that cruise guest satisfaction in Copenhagen increases when they are able to visit more neighborhoods.

“This supports the idea of spreading guests over larger areas and thereby avoiding congestion,” according to a statement from Cruise Baltic.

“No one is more interested in eradicating environmental issues than the cruise industry itself. The conference marked the beginning of a greener future and a strong global cooperation. Now we will all return home to execute the goals we have set together,” added Bodker.

The conference, which took place May 7, marked the start of an international project being conducted by Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and Food to reduce air pollution at the quay from cruise ships in the Baltic Region. The project runs from 2019 through 2022.

The Baltic region is not the only place where the cruise industry's sustainability efforts are making news. In late 2018, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced a historic global cruise industry commitment to reduce the rate of carbon emissions across the industry fleet by 40 percent by 2030.

CLIA has said it aspires to ultimately meet the International Maritime Organization’s vision of a carbon-free shipping industry by the end of the century.