Seven Seas Mariner, a luxurious cruise ship owned by Regent Seven Seas Cruises, skilled important delays getting into IJmuiden, Netherlands, because of a blockade by environmental activists on the port’s locks.
The surprising halt simply 19 miles from Amsterdam disrupted the journey plans of as much as 700 passengers and 445 crew members who had been concluding a 20-night Northern Europe phase of the ship’s 83-night “Grand Arctic Journey.”
The blockade occurred on August 11, 2024, when eight members of the group Extinction Insurrection, focusing on the environmental impression of cruise operations, chained themselves to the lock gates.
Passengers aboard the Seven Seas Mariner confronted a number of hours of delays as native authorities labored to clear the activists and reopen the pathway.
The environmental “rebels” declare the 12-deck cruise ship is “an instance of unprecedented luxurious that appears to be reserved just for the richest on the earth,” and “ships just like the Seven Seas Mariner exacerbate the disaster we’re in the midst of.”
Regardless of the ship’s excessive environmental rankings and efforts by way of its “Sail & Maintain” initiative, protestors argue it isn’t sufficient.
“In 2022, the Seven Seas Mariner at Associates of the Earth acquired a B ranking, which implies ‘passable,’” the group stated. “However this ‘passable’ is a comparability with different cruise ships and due to this fact says nothing about how polluting they’re, in comparison with different methods of holidaying.”
No arrests had been made, and the ship arrived in Amsterdam at 10 p.m., greater than 4 hours delayed. The ship is at present in Bruges, Belgium, and can conclude its tour in Barcelona on August 24, 2024.
The blockade got here a day after the protestors had efficiently stopped Royal Caribbean Worldwide’s Jewel of the Seas from getting into port in Amsterdam. As a substitute, the cruise ship was diverted to IJmuiden and was compelled to rent buses to move passengers between IJmuiden and Amsterdam.
Cruise Trade Advances In direction of Sustainability
Associates of the Earth, an environmental advocacy group that conducts rigorous evaluations of industries impacting the surroundings, together with the cruise sector, gave Regent Seven Seas Cruises a “C+” report card when it reviewed the corporate in 2022.
Whereas all the report featured blended critiques and famous efforts in sewage therapy whereas stating deficiencies in air air pollution management, Seven Seas Mariner particularly acquired a “B” with an A in water high quality compliance, a B- in air air pollution discount, and a C in sewage therapy.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ “Sail & Maintain” program focuses on decreasing the cruise line’s ecological impression. This system emphasizes compliance with worldwide environmental laws, such because the Worldwide Conference for the Prevention of Air pollution from Ships, and requirements set by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Safety Company.
Moreover, the cruise line makes use of know-how like Superior Wastewater Purification programs and energy-efficient practices to reduce its footprint.
The cruise business is dedicated to reaching net-zero carbon emissions throughout the globe by 2050. The Cruise Traces Worldwide Affiliation (CLIA)’s targets align with the Paris Settlement and the Worldwide Maritime Group’s technique for greenhouse gasoline discount.
CLIA tasks that 98 p.c of recent ships shall be outfitted with shoreside electrical energy capability by 2028 and that 61 p.c of recent builds are anticipated to make use of liquified pure gasoline (LNG) as a major gasoline.
Moreover, over 79 p.c of the worldwide fleet now makes use of Exhaust Fuel Cleansing Techniques (EGCS), and 78 p.c of the present fleet capability is supplied with superior wastewater therapy programs.
