Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released its annual Environmental Technologies and Practices (ETP) report, documenting continued and measurable progress by the global cruise industry toward greater sustainability.
Published annually since 2018, the report is the only industry-wide source that consistently tracks year-over-year fleet data on the adoption of environmental technologies and practices across more than 90% of global oceangoing cruise capacity.
The latest findings show increasing use of non-heavy fuel oil (HFO) fuels, expanding shore power readiness, greater fuel flexibility, improved energy efficiency, advanced wastewater treatment systems and increased onboard freshwater production.
“Year after year, the data show cruise lines continuing to invest in the technologies, fuels, and operational capabilities that are making the global cruise fleet more efficient and positioning it for the future,” said Bud Darr, President and CEO of CLIA.
Key findings
- CLIA’s 45 member cruise lines operate 327 ships with approximately 692,000 lower berths.
- The number of ships operating with multi-fuel engines has increased from one in 2018 to 30 today and is forecast to reach 69 by 2039.
- HFO use declined from 74.2% of reported fuel use in 2019 to 60.6% in 2024, while combined non-HFO fuel use rose from 25.8% to 39.4%.
- From 2018 through 2025, average fuel consumption per reporting cruise ship sailing in Europe declined by approximately 18.5%, while average CO₂ emissions per ship fell by around 19.4%.
- The number of CLIA-member ships able to connect to onshore power supply increased from 55 in 2018 to 193 today.
- A total of 293 ships can produce freshwater onboard, while 249 are equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems.
CLIA stressed that realizing the full potential of the industry’s investments will require cooperation among fuel producers, governments, ports, energy providers and other stakeholders to make safe, competitively priced renewable and lower-emissions fuels available at scale, supported by the necessary infrastructure.
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