P&O Captain In The Dock Over Pollution Allegations.

The issue of cruise tourism and pollution is an emotive subject and one that is currently under much scrutiny in France. The American captain of a P&O cruise ship is on trial in Marseille accused of using fuel with sulphur levels above permitted European limits.

The Azura, capable of carrying more than 3,000 passengers, is one of the largest in the fleet operated by P&O Cruises, whose parent company Carnival is also being charged. Prosecutors in Marseille say it is the first time pollution charges have been lodged against a ship’s captain on France’s Mediterranean coast.

A spot check onboard the Azura in March found it was burning bunker fuel containing 1.68 per cent sulphur, above the 1.5 per cent limit. High-sulphur fuel, which is cheaper than cleaner versions, produces sulphur oxides which contribute to acid rain and the acidification of oceans.

The ship’s 58-year-old captain, whose name has not been disclosed, faces up to one year in prison and a 200,000 euro fine. Tracked down by investigators a few days after the testing during a stop east of Marseille, he admitted using the fuel.

The UN’s International Maritime Organization has been lowering the allowed sulphur levels in ships for years, with a new limit of 0.5 per cent coming into force in 2020.

The city has suffered from increased smog in recent years, as it seeks to increase cruise passenger numbers. Authorities say shipping could be responsible for 10 to 20 per cent of the damaging particulate matter in Marseille’s air, which has been linked to respiratory problems and lung disease.

But the NGO France Nature Environnement, which has welcomed the charges against the captain, says the new maximum is still too high. Marseille registered 1.55 million cruise ship visitors last year, and officials hope it will surpass the numbers in Venice this year to become the fourth-largest port of call for cruise ships in the Mediterranean. The city is aiming for two million cruise line tourists in 2020.

This isn’t the first time a cruise company has been charged with pollution,  Princess Cruises were sentenced to pay a US$40 million penalty relating to illegal dumping overboard of oil-contaminated waste and falsification of official logs in 2013.

Read my blog here – https://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-blogs/samsseastories/princess-cruise-lines-fined-40-million-for-water-pollution/

It begs the obvious question, can our environment deal with the ever increasing number of cruise ships entering service and given the fragility and age of some of our most treasured and beautiful cities are we reaching crisis point?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Bye for now.