Cruise Ships
We advocate for laws and regulations to stop cruise ships from dumping waste into our oceans, polluting our beaches, contaminating our coral reefs, and destroying our valuable marine ecology.
Cruise ships the size of small cities ply the waters off our coasts, producing and then dumping large amounts of sewage and other wastes into our oceans, polluting our beaches, contaminating our coral reefs, and destroying our valuable marine ecology. Some of that waste is treated prior to dumping; other waste is dumped directly to the ocean without a second thought.
A large cruise ship, the largest of which can carry over 7,000 passengers and crew, on a one week voyage is estimated to generate 210,000 gallons (or 10 backyard swimming pools) of human sewage and 1 million gallons (40 more swimming pools) of graywater (water from sinks, baths, showers, laundry and galleys). Cruise ships also generate large volumes of oily bilge water, sewage sludge, garbage and hazardous wastes. In addition, these luxury liners, which allow passengers a rare glimpse of some of the most sensitive environments on the planet, spew a range of pollutants into the air that can lead to serious public health problems and contribute to global warming.
The rapidly expanding size and number of cruise ships in U.S. waters has triggered a national cruise ship pollution crisis. Environmental laws have not kept pace with growth of the industry. Cruise lines travel the most pristine waters of America, dumping all the way. New laws and standards are urgently needed.
Choose A Greener Cruise
Our Cruise Ship Report Card lets vacationers decide which cruise to take based on a cruise ship or cruise line’s environmental and human health impacts.
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Sewage Treatment
Sewage Treatment Has the cruise line installed the most advanced sewage and wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) available instead of dumping minimally treated sewage directly into the water? In determining a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line. Ships with AWTS were downgraded in 2024 because no companies publicly report on the performance of those advanced systems. |
Air Pollution Reduction
Air Pollution Reduction Has the cruise line installed shorepower or adopted cleaner fuel worldwide? In determining the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, ships that dock at a port and plug in to available shoreside power hookups were graded. In addition, ships were given credit if they utilize low sulfur fuels continuously worldwide at levels lower than required by international law. Use of exhaust gas scrubbers is not considered since the scrubbers in use by the cruise industry simply convert air pollution emissions into water pollution through their scrubber wastewater discharges. |
Water Quality/Scrubber Use
Water Quality/Scrubber Use Many cruise ships have installed exhaust gas scrubbers to reduce smoke stack emissions and comply with cleaner fuel rules in the US and worldwide. However, while scrubbers reduce some air pollution, most discharge contaminated, toxic waste water--trading one dirty pollution source for another. We fail ships for their use of scrubbers since scrubbers convert air pollution emissions into wastewater pollution. | Transparency |
2024 Final Grade
**For the 2024 Cruise Ship Report Card, we graded 21 cruise lines and 243 cruise ships of those 21 lines operating around the world. All cruise ships from each cruise line were included in this report card. Friends of the Earth relied on data gathered from the internet, government sources, the cruise line industry, and other public sources in order to determine the grades assigned to the cruise lines. Friends of the Earth did not independently verify that the technology graded in the report card was installed on the individual cruise ships. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hurtigruten | 05 C | 11 A | -1 N/A | 11 A | 09 B+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) | 05 C | 11 A | -1 N/A | 11 A | 09 B+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line founded by the Walt Disney Company in 1995. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 06 C+ | -1 N/A | 11 A | 08 B | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises was founded in 1990. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 03 D+ | -1 N/A | 11 A | 06 C+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Viking Cruises
The cruise line was founded in 1997 and its current headquarters are in Switzerland. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 06 C+ | 00 F | 11 A | 05 C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| P&O Australia | 05 C | 04 C- | 00 F | 11 A | 04 C- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages is a joint venture between the Virgin Group, founded by Richard Branson, and Bain Capital. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 03 D+ | 00 F | 11 A | 04 C- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises was founded in 2002. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 04 C- | 00 F | 11 A | 04 C- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises was founded in 1970 by an Italian shipping company. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
02 D | 03 D+ | 00 F | 11 A | 03 D+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Cruise Lines controls nine percent of the North American market and, along with Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is considered one of the 'big three' corporations which dominate the U.S. cruise ship market. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 02 D | 00 F | 11 A | 03 D+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the world’s second-largest cruise line operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 03 D+ | 00 F | 02 D | 02 D | |||||||||||||||||||||
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AIDA Cruises
AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 05 C | 00 F | 00 F | 01 D- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises was founded in 1994. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
04 C- | 00 F | 00 F | 02 D | 01 D- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Royal Caribbean Int'l
Royal Caribbean International was founded in 1997. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 01 D- | 00 F | 02 D | 01 D- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises was founded in 1965 and is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 06 C+ | 00 F | 00 F | 01 D- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Holland America Line
Holland America Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 06 C+ | 00 F | 00 F | 01 D- | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Seabourn Cruise Line
Seabourn Cruise Line was founded in 1986 and is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | |||||||||||||||||||||
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P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based in England and it is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
02 D | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises is an Italian cruise line based in Italy and it is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
00 F | 02 D | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Cunard Cruise Line
Cunard Cruise Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
05 C | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. Find out more about how we graded this line » |
01 D- | 02 D | 00 F | 00 F | 00 F | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cruise ship pollution remains largely unaddressed across the global industry, according to Friends of the Earth’s latest Cruise Ship Report Card.
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Cruise Ship Report Card
Decide which cruise to take based on a cruise ship or cruise line’s environmental and human health impacts.