In the modern age of the Cruise Industry, ships need to cope with a number of challenges on various fronts from safety, security including piracy, sanitation, maintenance and of course the environment.
It will come as no surprise to Off Radar readers that Cruise ships, while sailing or docked, burn oil with a low volume of Sulphur. Nevertheless, in reality it does release smoke containing a poisonous form of Sulphur dioxide, all be it in small quantities considering the size of an average pot city.
Now it has come to our attention at Off Radar that since 2006, Sulphur dioxide emissions have been monitored in strategic location of James Bay by the University of Victoria geography department for the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, James Bay Neighbourhood Association and Vancouver Island Health Authority or VIHA for short!
These air-quality reports, which are also available on the Internet, offer interesting documented records of what has occurred in the past. They show that maximum tolerable limits of Sulphur dioxide within the air (recommended by World Health Organization) have been surpassed. This sometimes occurs when Cruise ships are in the act of docking or departing when more fumes are generated.
It now appears that the VIHA actually recommend people with asthma or other breathing issues in addition to the elderly and children should stay indoors when cruise ships are in port.
Currently it seems that few cities (exception Venice) around the world are complaining about this potential health issue to cruise ships. In fact, on the contrary the Tourism boards around the planet at Seatrade exhibitions in particular are doing their level best to attract cruise ships to their respective destinations.
While this issue may be “Off the Radar” for most port cities and Cruise Lines for the time being, the potential health risks of cruise ships is something that will likely come to the fore in the future.
There are a number of potential solutions to the plume problem however as follows:
There are a number of potential solutions to the plume problem however as follows:
- Strategically focus more on port away from the city.
- Anchor ships away from shore and tender in passengers for cities with a port close to the center.
- Offer electricity on the dock for the ships to use instead of burning oil to keep their electrical generators operational.
- Inform local residents of the docking and departure times, so that they can take alternative measures to protect themselves if there is genuine concern.
Whatever the outcome this is something to keep on our radar!
