“The perception of cruise vacations as harmful to the climate is unlikely to change anytime soon. While "small steps" of progress are visible, "the industry remains on a fossil-fuel course"—this is the conclusion drawn by the environmental group NABU following a survey of cruise operators. The resulting ranking has barely shifted compared to the previous year.
Nevertheless, Sönke Diesener, a shipping expert at NABU, concluded the press conference on the subject with an optimistic note: "The first completely climate-neutral cruise could be possible before 2030."
This development could be achieved through hybrid propulsion systems—such as wind assistance or the use of batteries, a field where technology is advancing "extremely positively."
Furthermore, there is an expectation that the use of e-methanol—a fuel produced using green hydrogen (generated from renewable energy sources)—will increase. As an example, Diesener pointed to TUI’s *Mein Schiff 7*, which entered service two years ago and could be converted to run on e-methanol in the near term.
"The industry bears a special responsibility. A great deal of money is made here, so I expect the cruise sector to lead the way," said Malte Siegert, head of the Hamburg branch of NABU. However, the current assessment suggests the opposite: the survey reveals that one in every two cruise ships is still powered by heavy fuel oil.
"It is absolute filth—laden with everything left over from the refining process." "A sticky substance that has to be heated to a hundred degrees before it can even be used"—that is how Siegert describes this viscous fuel. Its use is permitted only if exhaust gas cleaning systems—or "scrubbers"—are employed. Large quantities of the pollutants filtered out of the exhaust are then discharged directly into the sea. Phasing it out has long been feasible, emphasizes NABU expert Raija Koch: "The problem isn't a lack of technical solutions, but a lack of the will to implement them." In the container shipping sector, the move away from heavy fuel oil is already being pursued much more consistently.
NABU notes progress regarding emissions while ships are docked in port. Cruise ships, which typically carry thousands of people on board, have an enormous energy demand; consequently, providing them with shore power—ideally sourced from renewable energy—can have a significant impact. Hamburg, which welcomes between 220 and 240 cruise ships annually, considers itself a pioneer in this area. As early as 2016, the city equipped its first cruise terminal with a shore power connection. Starting next year, the use of shore power will be mandatory there—three years ahead of the timeline required by the EU. However, shore power facilities are far from universal: "In the Mediterranean or along the Atlantic, you still have to go looking for shore power," reports Diesener.
On this point, the cruise industry itself echoes the concerns raised by the environmental organization. "To date, only about four percent of berths offer shore power," says a spokesperson for CLIA, the global cruise industry association. The spokesperson notes that a large portion of the 70 billion euros in investments planned by member cruise lines through 2036 will be directed toward decarbonizing their fleets—including the development of ships capable of running on renewable fuels. "This positions the cruise industry among the pioneers in the maritime sector." However, progress is being hindered by the lack of available, suitable fuels. "What matters now is reliable, ambitious regulation that provides incentives to invest in expanding [the necessary infrastructure]," the industry association representative urges.
NABU hopes that many of the industry's plans will actually be implemented, especially since the shipbuilding sector is demonstrating potential solutions. Raija Koch points to the "Vision" project, unveiled by Meyer Werft at a cruise industry trade fair in Miami. The 275-meter-long vessel, designed for nearly 1,900 passengers, could be powered entirely by batteries—though, due to limited charging capacity, it would only be viable on routes with frequent stops.
While concrete plans for future investments are factored into NABU’s cruise ranking, significantly more weight is given to tangible climate and efficiency measures, the use of shore power, and initiatives for air pollution control. Under the current scoring system, a maximum of 17 points can be achieved. NABU notes that even the top-performing lines—Norway’s Havila and Hurtigruten, with 7.5 and 7.25 points respectively—have not reached even half of the maximum score. TUI’s "Mein Schiff" and AIDA each earned six points, while Hapag-Lloyd Cruises received 4.75 points.
NABU has been compiling this ranking annually since 2012. The goal is to provide guidance for travelers who wish to incorporate sustainability criteria into their vacation planning. While the initial focus was on immediate air pollution, the primary emphasis has now shifted toward a decarbonization strategy. Globally, the shipping industry—through its trade association, the IMO—has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Shipping is estimated to account for 2.5 to 3 percent of global CO2 emissions. Due to the relatively small number of vessels, the cruise industry contributes only a fraction of this total. However, the picture changes when looking at the impact per individual passenger, as noted by the environmental organization NABU: a single cruise makes it impossible to meet the target set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—a goal suggesting that each person should limit their annual CO2 emissions to 1,000 kilograms.” [1]
1. Werden Kreuzfahrten bald klimafreundlich?: Längst wäre dreckiges Schweröl verzichtbar, aber Kreuzfahrtschiffe setzen es noch reichlich ein. Der NABU hofft auf Investitionen in neue Technologien. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 07 Aug 2026: 18. Von Susanne Preuß, Hamburg
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