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‘A good cruise is one that doesn’t come’: Europe’s ports bear brunt of ship pollutionAs health and environmental impact of cruise ships becomes clearer, Mediterranean ports consider bans and restrictionsPort cities around Europe are increasingly considering bans or restrictions on cruise ships as their health and environmental impacts become clearer.The 218 cruise ships operating in Europe last year emitted more than four times more sulphur oxides than all the continent’s cars combined, according to the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). Sulphur dioxide causes respiratory and cardiovascular problems and its pollution is a key component of acid rain.On 30 July, six cruise ships stopped in Barcelona, the city T&E says is the European destination most affected by cruise ships. This means 10,000 to 30,000 passengers could be cascading along Barcelona’s Ramblas.How beneficial these visitors are to a city’s tourism industry is hotly debated. Cruise ship companies say that during a seven-day trip, passengers spend €760 (£662) on average at destinations. However, Dídac Navarro, an activist from the organisation Ecologistas en Acció, says most passengers “just take a quick stroll then go back to the ship to eat and sleep”.A frequent arrival at Barcelona’s port is the Grandiosa, belonging to the cruise company MSC... When the Grandiosa is in port, many passengers stay onboard to make the most of the solariums, four swimming pools, three twisting slides, seven rooms for children, a gym, a spa, a casino, an arcade, a theatre, nurseries, a grocery store, the 11 dining venues, 20 bars and an all-you-can-eat buffet open 16 hours daily. A ship’s back house also often includes a small hospital, prison and morgue. Outside, the summer sun is scorching but inside, corridors are pumped with air cooled to 20C. Brimming with luxury and colour, the cruise ship is like an overcrowded five-star hotel.
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Topic: Are cruise ships good for Kefalonia? (Read 2335 times)
