Il settore delle crociere sta vivendo un boom nonostante le preoccupazioni ambientali, come racconta un articolo uscito su The Conversation, curato da Frédéric Dimanche e Kelley A. McClinchey.

The cruise industry was badly hit by the suspension of cruise operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Fuelled by heavy consumer demand and industry innovation, cruising has made a comeback. It is now one of the fastest-growing sectors, rebounding even faster than international tourism.

I passeggeri giovani sono in aumento, i “baby boomers” rappresentano solo il 25% della clientela, con la Gen X, Millennials e Gen Z sempre più interessate alla navigazione in crociera. Nel 2023, due milioni di persone in più hanno fatto crociere rispetto al 2019 e la domanda dovrebbe superare i 35 milioni nel 2024. Le nuove navi intanto diventano sempre più grandi:

Newly constructed mega-ships are part of the industry’s unprecedented growth. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world, with 18 decks, 5,600 passengers  and 2,350 crew (7600 maximum capacity: Icon of the Seas – Wikipedia , n.d.r.).

Le crociere però preoccupano per il loro elevato costo ambientale:

Cruise ship visitors are known to negatively impact Marine World Heritage sites. While most sites regulate ballast water and wastewater discharge, there are concerns about ship air emissions and wildlife interactions.

L’impatto delle navi da crociera sulle città costiere europee è un altro fattore critico:

Toxic air pollutants from cruise ships around ports are higher than pre-pandemic levels, leaving Europe’s port cities “choking on air pollution.” Last year, Europe’s 218 cruise ships emitted as much sulphur oxides as one billion cars — a high number, considering the introduction of the International Maritime Organization’s sulphur cap in 2020.

Ma nonostante l’industria dichiari di essere molto attenta all’ambiente, le preoccupazioni e i dubbi rimangono.

But despite the industry using liquefied natural gas instead of heavy fuel oil and electric shore power to turn off diesel engines when docking, industry critics still claim the cruise sector is greenwashing. As a result, some cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice are limiting or banning cruise ships.