Cruise ships docked in Southampton, where an analysis of ship schedules found most did not make use of onshore power facilities. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

We have pointed in this direction plenty of times over the years, so by now you might say it is caveat emptor:

Cruise ships polluting UK coast as they ignore greener power options

Most liners rely on marine gas oil when docked, despite claims they reduce emissions by plugging into low-carbon electricity

Cruise ships visiting Britain are frequently failing to plug into “zero emission” onshore power and instead running their engines and polluting the local environment with fumes.

The industry is under scrutiny over air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gases, with some European cities banning vessels from central ports. Cruise operators say ships can reduce emissions by switching off engines and plugging into low-carbon electricity when moored. But an investigation by openDemocracy has found that cruise ships regularly fail to use onshore power at Southampton, Britain’s largest cruise port.

They instead rely on marine gas oil, which contributes to local air pollution, or liquefied natural gas (LNG), which has lower air pollutants but leads to some methane being emitted into the atmosphere. Both fuels contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

An analysis of ship schedules at Southampton found that between April 2022 and July 2023, there were about 300 days when at least one cruise ship was docked at the port, but the onshore power facility was only used 71 times over the same period.

Some ships have not been adapted to use cleaner onshore power, but the UK Chamber of Shipping says one factor is cost, because onshore power is more expensive than marine fuel. Cruise firms can also pay for their ships to be retrofitted with new technology so they can use cleaner onshore power…

Read the whole article here.