The Dark Side of the Cruise Industry: Goals Destroyed by Cruise Ships

In Santorini, the amount of garbage has doubled, in Barcelona unbearable pollution, in Venice cultural values ​​are being harmed, in Australia coral reefs are being destroyed and the Galapagos Islands fear invading species. That's how cruise ships hit seven popular destinations around the world

The Dark Side of the Cruise Industry: Goals Destroyed by Cruise Ships

Last year, Cruise Company Carnival was fined $ 20 million after several of its ships were documented dumping debris into the heart of the ocean. But this is only part of the picture, because the fuel that drives the Cruise Ship engines contains 2,000 times more sulfur dioxide than the diesel fuel used. The result: massive pollution in and around ports.

And to complete the scene, upon arriving at the port, every such ship emits thousands of enthusiastic tourists, who are popular destinations and cause tremendous human burdens and harm to the quality of life of locals. The Insider website lists seven places in the world that have been severely affected by the cruise industry.

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Mallorca Island, Spain: Locals are fed up

Mallorca Island, one of the Balearic Islands in Spain, has become such a popular tourist destination for the cruise industry that local residents are just tired of it. They signed a petition calling to limit the number of ships arriving on the island, with the intention of having no more than one ship a day.

To date, the petition has signed more than 11,000 residents, seeking to reduce the pollution, heavy load and garbage left by the masses.

In 2017, it was determined that the port of Majorca was the second most polluted port in Europe, due to emissions of more than 28 tonnes of the poisonous sulfur dioxide gas left by the ships that year.

Locals have signed a petition calling to limit the number of ships arriving on the island. Majorca (Photo: Shutterstock)

Cana Fornels Palma de Mallorca (Photo: ShutterStock)

Barcelona, ​​Spain: Europe's most polluted harbor

In 2016, many residents of the city set out to welcome the world's largest cruise ship, protesting. They were holding signs that read "Enough for Tourism" and "The Minority Earns, and the rest pay the price".
Indeed, the first place on the continent's list of most polluted ports occupies the port of Barcelona, ​​Spain. And thus responsible for no other than the cruise ships. Here, in 2017, they emitted more than 32 tonnes of sulfur dioxide.

Barcelona's mayor Eda Colau is working to reduce the number of ships visiting the city to reduce water and air pollution, as well as curb the number of tourists. "We don't have endless spaces," she says.

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"The minority makes a profit, the rest pay the price." Barcelona's Ramblas Boulevard is bursting with tourists (Photo: AP)

Rambles Street in Barcelona. August 24, 2019 (Photo: AP)

Great Barrier Reef, Australia: a sea of ​​debris

In 2018, she accidentally spilled into the Carnival Cruise Company's thousands of gallons of food scraps in the so-sensitive area of ​​Australia's Great Barrier Reef anyway. There were conflicting reports as to the exact amount of waste. The company claimed it was about 7,000 liters, but the Australian Maritime Safety Authority determined it was about 27,000 liters.

Either way, this devastating incident has greatly damaged this unique World Heritage site. In fact, about half of this vast reef area has already been irreversibly destroyed due to various infections and global warming.

Thousands of gallons of food scraps were accidentally spilled from a cruise ship. Great Barrier Reef (Photo: Shutterstock)

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia (Photo: ShutterStock)

Santorini, Greece: Trash Mountains

The data is amazing: the quantities of garbage on the island of Greek Santorini have doubled over the last five years. The reason: over-tourism.

Although restrictions are being imposed on cruise ships because of the high density they create, it is still a small island (75 square kilometers) that is frequented by about 10,000 tourists each season.

"Many of the island's residents make a living from the tourism and cruise industry, but on the other hand, concessions have to be made," says Mayor Nikos Zorsos. "We are already reaching the limit of our capacity with regard to electricity and water supply. The amount of garbage has doubled in recent years and if we do not control the visitors, it will destroy us."

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Over-tourism affects the amount of junk on the island. Santorini (Photo: Image Bank GettyImages)

Tourists on Santorini Island Greece (Photo: GettyImages)

Venice, Italy: Stop the Cruises

According to Forbes magazine, more than 600 Cruise ships dock in Venice each year. The UNESCO noted that "tourism pressure in the city is considered exceptional, which could jeopardize its identity and cultural and social integrity."
For this reason, it was decided in Venice to ban the entry of cruise ships weighing more than 96,000 tonnes.

The UN has stated that "tourism pressure in the city is considered exceptional." Cruise in Venice (Photo: Shutterstock)

Cruise in Venice (Photo: Shutterstock, ShutterStock)

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Thousands of tourists in the narrow alleys

Dubrovnik Old Town, Croatia, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists come here, flocking to the narrow alleys that look like embarrassments.

Numerically, every day in the season, 10 cruise ships arrived, from which more than 10,000 tourists descended. And it was just way too much for these narrow alleys. The result: heavy density and unbearable traffic loads on the roads.

For this reason, in 2018, local authorities decided to limit the number to only two ships a day, with no more than 5,000 visitors.

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Every day in the season 10 cruise ships arrived here. Dubrovnik, Croatia (Photo: Shutterstock)

Dubrovnik, Croatia (Photo: ShutterStock)

Galapagos Islands: Danger of invading species

In 2007, the UN added the Galapagos Islands to the list of endangered World Heritage Sites. All this, in an ecosystem that is considered delicate and incredibly fragile.

Therefore, today, every Cruise ship that seeks to enter the Galapagos Islands must have a special entry permit from three parties: Galapagos Nature Conservation Organization, the Sea and Ports Authority and the Ministry of Tourism. This is to reduce the risk of hovering over the natural values ​​in the area.

Considerable movement of ships between the islands. Galapagos (Photo: Shutterstock)

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (Photo: ShutterStock)