Portland, Maine, is getting ready to welcome its largest cruise ship ever when Anthem of the Seas calls there this month, and the environmentally conscious city wanted to know what the impact of such a visit would have. The Portland Press Herald looked into its sustainability and found that despite its large size, the newer the ship, the more environmentally friendly it was. 

“You can operate a ship as effectively for a larger number of people with a relatively smaller capital expenditure and a less than proportional increase in cruise size,” Bud Darr, senior vice president, Technical and Regulatory Affairs, with Cruise Lines International Association told the publication.

Darr detailed some of the new energy-efficient bells and whistles of the ship. 

The industry expects to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2025, aided by improvements on new and as-yet unfinished ships. LED lighting has been a huge help, as well as improved heating and cooling systems, Darr noted to the Portland Press Herald.

Waste management has also been much improved and much of it doesn’t even reach the shore. It is incinerated onboard. What does reach the shore is compacted trash and much of it is recycled. 

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Darr said it is “typical to see a 60 percent recycling rate per person, which is better than recycling rates onshore.”

How does the industry manage to do this and what will the future hold when it comes to the environmental impact of cruising? Read on here for more information.

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