March 2020 | Forward
INTERVIEW
Andy Harmer on why it’s now easier being green The Clia UK boss tells Sam Ballard how the organisation is steering cruise lines in the right direction when it comes to environmental protection There is arguably no bigger challenge to the cruise sector right now than sustainability. Whether it’s singleuse plastics, fuel type or any other number of topics, cruise, as with many other sectors of the travel industry, is under the microscope. However, the industry is doing a lot of work in this space, from the proposed $5 billion joint fund for research and development to the International Maritime Organization’s ruling that fuel types can only have a maximum sulphur content of 0.5 per cent (down from 3.5 per cent). So, with that level of investment and legislation being delivered, it’s crucial that the messaging is there, too. This is where the likes of Clia come in. The organisation is the conduit between cruise lines and the trade and so is a good first port of call when it comes to finding out more about the industry’s sustainability initiatives. We sat down
with Andy Harmer, the organisation’s UK boss, to find out more. cruise adviser: Are cruise lines acting quickly enough to cut out single-use plastic? Andy Harmer: Sustainability is integral to how the cruise industry operates, and cruise lines are constantly looking at ways to protect the environment. Many cruise lines have already committed to significantly reducing or completely eliminating single-use plastic on board, in ways such as using refillable toiletries in cabins, banishing plastic straws and giving guests plastic-free water bottles. How does cruise change the negative image surrounding its environmental impact? While cruise lines only represent less than one per cent of the global
shipping fleet, the cruise industry is at the vanguard of measures being taken to improve the environmental impact of shipping. Clia’s areas of focus for environmental improvements include improving fuel standards to reduce emissions, investing in new technologies and designs to transform the global fleet’s efficiency and performance, and collaborating with leading national and international organisations to advance sustainability efforts. In many of these areas, great work has already been achieved. Clia cruise lines have invested more than £16 billion in the development of new energy-efficient technologies and cleaner fuels, such as the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for a ship’s propulsion, which burns cleaner than any other fossil fuel. Furthermore, in 2018, Clia cruise
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