Which? has published a list of the top polluting cruise lines operating in Europe and says consumers should know more about the environmental impact of the industry.
The consumer champion analysed the European Union’s 2023 monitoring, reporting and verification data to calculate which cruise lines were most polluting, based on average ship emissions per nautical miles travelled.
Disney Cruise Line, which had one ship in Europe last year, the 2,500-capacity Disney Dream, came top of the table, with average CO2 emissions at nearly 1.5 tonnes (1,481kg) per nautical mile.
Norwegian Cruise Line had 10 ships in European waters last year and comes out second on the list, with each ship emitting an average of 1.4 tonnes (1,413 kg) of CO2 per nautical mile.
Which? said NCL’s Norwegian Epic was the most polluting cruise ship in Europe, responsible for 95,000 tonnes (94,986,000 kg) of CO2 emissions in 2023. Which? said that is as much as a town with around 20,000 residents, such as Newmarket in Suffolk.
Other cruise lines with high emissions include Princess Cruises with average emissions of 1,253 kg per nautical mile, closely followed by Royal Caribbean with 1,248 kg.
Which? said: “Many holidaymakers are likely unaware of the true environmental cost of a cruise holiday.”
It warned the ‘true scale of the problem is likely to be even bigger’ because European ships don’t currently have to report methane emissions. Which? says methane emissions are ‘a more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide’ and ships sailing in Europe will have to report these from next year. The ranking also doesn’t account for air and water pollution, as Which? says these ‘are currently too difficult to measure’.
Which? also references research by green think tank Transport & Environment, which said the 45 cruise ships that called at Southampton port in 2022 emitted nearly nine times more polluting sulphur than all of the city’s 93,000 cars. However, Associated British Ports said it did not recognise the figure used.
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 (CO2e) per person than going to Barcelona by plane and staying in a hotel (2,100kg CO2e compared to 425kg CO2e).
The carbon footprint of a two-week Caribbean cruise, including return flights to Barbados is more than double that of a two-week holiday in Barbados full board (6,196kg CO2e compared to 2,487kg CO2e), Which? said.
Which? also said people are getting confused by claims about cruise ships using greener methods, such as exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as ‘scrubbers’, the use of liquid natural gas (LNG) and shore power. It said: “Greenwashing can also make it harder for consumers to calculate the true environmental impact of a cruise holiday.”
However, it praised the cruise lines Hurtigruten, which has two ships that are partially battery powered and Viking, which is currently building four ships that will be partially propelled by hydrogen fuel cells.
Which? Travel Deputy Editor Naomi Leach said: “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.”
The table below shows the most polluting European cruise lines based on their average CO2 emissions per nautical mile, according to Which? research.
Cruise line’s responses
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.”
A spokesperson for Norwegian said that while the EU’s MRV data can provide valuable insights, it’s only one piece of the full picture as it does not account for time spent in port, where emissions are naturally lower and where vessels spend a large amount of time, or the number of passengers being transported on the ship, which it considers should be considered to reflect the ship’s efficiency per person. The spokesperson said that it is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, using a 2019 baseline.
Carnival said: “Our fleet produces 10+% less total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions today than in our peak year (2011) despite increasing capacity by roughly 30%. Greenhouse gas emissions based on distance sailed is not a good measure of the environmental performance of most cruise ships, which often sail shorter distances and spend significant time in port. Instead we recommend considering indicators that drive total emissions reductions, such as emissions per lower berth capacity. In fact, we’re on track to have cut our GHG emissions per lower berth capacity (called carbon intensity) by 40+% by 2026 (vs. 2008 levels).”
MSC said: “The method used for this ranking is not an accurate reflection of the environmental performance of cruise ships and is misleading for consumers and does nothing to help them make informed decisions about the climate impact of their holiday. In 2023, the number of shore power connections in Europe increased and we will see this continue to increase year on year, eliminating local emissions in ports where shore power is available. In 2023 we had two LNG ships operating in Europe and this sees a reduction of greenhouse emissions by up to 20% compared to conventional maritime fuels.”
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The consumer champion analysed the European Union’s 2023 monitoring, reporting and verification data to calculate which cruise lines were most polluting, based on average ship emissions per nautical miles travelled.
Disney Cruise Line, which had one ship in Europe last year, the 2,500-capacity Disney Dream, came top of the table, with average CO2 emissions at nearly 1.5 tonnes (1,481kg) per nautical mile.
Norwegian Cruise Line had 10 ships in European waters last year and comes out second on the list, with each ship emitting an average of 1.4 tonnes (1,413 kg) of CO2 per nautical mile.
Which? said NCL’s Norwegian Epic was the most polluting cruise ship in Europe, responsible for 95,000 tonnes (94,986,000 kg) of CO2 emissions in 2023. Which? said that is as much as a town with around 20,000 residents, such as Newmarket in Suffolk.
Other cruise lines with high emissions include Princess Cruises with average emissions of 1,253 kg per nautical mile, closely followed by Royal Caribbean with 1,248 kg.
Which? said: “Many holidaymakers are likely unaware of the true environmental cost of a cruise holiday.”
It warned the ‘true scale of the problem is likely to be even bigger’ because European ships don’t currently have to report methane emissions. Which? says methane emissions are ‘a more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide’ and ships sailing in Europe will have to report these from next year. The ranking also doesn’t account for air and water pollution, as Which? says these ‘are currently too difficult to measure’.
Which? also references research by green think tank Transport & Environment, which said the 45 cruise ships that called at Southampton port in 2022 emitted nearly nine times more polluting sulphur than all of the city’s 93,000 cars. However, Associated British Ports said it did not recognise the figure used.
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 (CO2e) per person than going to Barcelona by plane and staying in a hotel (2,100kg CO2e compared to 425kg CO2e).
The carbon footprint of a two-week Caribbean cruise, including return flights to Barbados is more than double that of a two-week holiday in Barbados full board (6,196kg CO2e compared to 2,487kg CO2e), Which? said.
Which? also said people are getting confused by claims about cruise ships using greener methods, such as exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as ‘scrubbers’, the use of liquid natural gas (LNG) and shore power. It said: “Greenwashing can also make it harder for consumers to calculate the true environmental impact of a cruise holiday.”
However, it praised the cruise lines Hurtigruten, which has two ships that are partially battery powered and Viking, which is currently building four ships that will be partially propelled by hydrogen fuel cells.
Which? Travel Deputy Editor Naomi Leach said: “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.”
The table below shows the most polluting European cruise lines based on their average CO2 emissions per nautical mile, according to Which? research.
| Cruise line | Average CO2 emissions per ship |
| Disney Cruise Line | 1,481kg |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 1,413kg |
| Princess Cruises | 1,253kg |
| Royal Caribbean | 1,248kg |
| MSC Cruises | 1,229kg |
| Virgin Voyages | 1,229kg |
| Celebrity Cruises | 1,228kg |
| Cunard | 1,207kg |
| P&O Cruises | 1,108kg |
| Costa Cruises | 1,051kg |
Cruise line’s responses
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.”
A spokesperson for Norwegian said that while the EU’s MRV data can provide valuable insights, it’s only one piece of the full picture as it does not account for time spent in port, where emissions are naturally lower and where vessels spend a large amount of time, or the number of passengers being transported on the ship, which it considers should be considered to reflect the ship’s efficiency per person. The spokesperson said that it is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, using a 2019 baseline.
Carnival said: “Our fleet produces 10+% less total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions today than in our peak year (2011) despite increasing capacity by roughly 30%. Greenhouse gas emissions based on distance sailed is not a good measure of the environmental performance of most cruise ships, which often sail shorter distances and spend significant time in port. Instead we recommend considering indicators that drive total emissions reductions, such as emissions per lower berth capacity. In fact, we’re on track to have cut our GHG emissions per lower berth capacity (called carbon intensity) by 40+% by 2026 (vs. 2008 levels).”
MSC said: “The method used for this ranking is not an accurate reflection of the environmental performance of cruise ships and is misleading for consumers and does nothing to help them make informed decisions about the climate impact of their holiday. In 2023, the number of shore power connections in Europe increased and we will see this continue to increase year on year, eliminating local emissions in ports where shore power is available. In 2023 we had two LNG ships operating in Europe and this sees a reduction of greenhouse emissions by up to 20% compared to conventional maritime fuels.”
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