A Disney cruise ship with stops in Scotland named most polluting liner in Europe

A Disney cruise ship which stopped in Scotland on one of its regular routes has been named the most polluting liner in Europe.

An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? analysed the EU’s 2023 monitoring, reporting and verification data to calculate which cruise lines were most polluting on average, based on average ship emissions per nautical miles travelled.

The 2,500-person capacity Disney Dream, which last year docked in Greenock for the first time on a new route for the Disney cruise brand, pumped out average Co2 emissions of almost one and half tonnes per nautical mile, putting it at the top of the table.

Rather than analysing total emissions – which would simply highlight the cruise lines with the most ships  - analysing emissions per distance travelled spotlights the cruise companies operating the worst polluting vessels.

Norwegian had 10 ships in European waters and was the second-worst polluter based on average emissions per ship, with each vessel emitting an average of 1.4 tonnes (1413 kg) of Co2 per nautical mile. 

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The company is also home to the most polluting cruise ship in Europe, according to figures; the 4,100 capacity Norwegian Epic spewed two tonnes of CO2 for every nautical mile travelled. In total, this single ship was responsible for 95,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023 - as much as a town with around 20,000 residents. Other cruise lines with high emissions included Princess Cruises with average emissions of 1253 kg per nautical mile, closely followed by Royal Caribbean with 1248 kg.

As demand for cruising grows - the Cruise Lines International Association predicts that 36 million people will take a cruise break this year - ships grow bigger, and with them the impact on the environment. The 10 most-polluting cruise ships in 2023 were all mega ships carrying thousands of passengers. Three of these belonged to Norwegian.

Which? warned many holidaymakers are likely unaware of the true environmental cost of a cruise holiday. Separate analysis carried out on behalf of Which? by the carbon reduction consultancy Ecollective found the carbon footprint of a passenger on a European cruise can be larger than that of someone taking a short-haul holiday by plane. 

This analysis found that a no-fly Mediterranean cruise emits five times more carbon dioxide equivalent per person than going to Barcelona by plane and staying in a hotel.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: “Holidaymakers are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of their travel both on the environment and on local communities. The emissions generated by some of Europe’s largest cruise ships are simply staggering.

“It’s clear more needs to be done to clean up the cruise industry and to tackle greenwashing to ensure consumers are getting clear and honest information about the impact of cruising.”

A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said: “While we fully support transparency and accountability in emissions reporting, it is important to note that the methodology used in this analysis does not accurately reflect the full context of our operations, especially for a cruise line with only one ship operating in the region for a relatively short period of time.

“Disney Cruise Line complies with all air and water quality standards. While sailing in Europe, the Disney Dream used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil along with ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements. DCL is committed to continuing to reduce its emissions in line with The Walt Disney Company’s environmental goals.”