Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland Director: – “We welcome the UK Government’s focus to transition towards green shipping. By driving innovation through shipbuilding, we believe the cruise industry has a decisive role to play as an enabler of green growth. Our industry is committed to a future of sustainable travel, and CLIA members have made a fleet wide commitment to reduce the rate of carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. Research into new, alternate fuels will be key to decarbonisation of shipping, and will require collaboration between the maritime industry, fuel suppliers and policy makers. Cruise lines are at the forefront of this challenge, fostering investment in environmental technology. In fact, the industry has so far invested more than £16.9bn in ships with new technologies and cleaner fuels to reduce air emissions and achieve greater efficiency. Furthermore, cruise ships are increasingly equipped with the technology to allow delivery of shoreside electricity, and the continued development of port infrastructure will be key.
The cruise sector is a critical component of our economy, generating £10bn to the economy and supporting 88,000+ jobs in the UK, and has a role to support green growth. Despite the suspension of operations during the pandemic, our commitment to sustainability has remained constant, through innovation, emissions reductions, and greater energy efficiency to meet our objectives and maintain our global leadership and jobs.”
