MIAMI, Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest leisure travel company, today announced it has completed
the installation and certification of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems
(EGCS) on an industry-leading 60 ships across its brands.
Representing a $400 million
investment to date, the company is on track to develop and deploy
its systems on more than 85 vessels across its global fleet through
2020 – significantly improving the quality of air emissions from
its ships and reinforcing its environmental commitment.
First announced in 2013, the company broke new ground in
engineering a proprietary technology to successfully function in
the confined spaces of a cruise ship to reduce sulfur compounds and
particulate matter from a ship's engine exhaust at any operating
state of a ship – at sea, during maneuvering and in port. The
systems enable Carnival Corporation to meet international
regulations that place a cap on sulfur content of fuel
oil at 0.1 percent. In addition to mitigating costs for
low-sulfur fuel, the systems further the company's sustainability
goals to continue reducing the intensity of carbon emissions while
improving the overall quality of emissions.
"Our Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems represent advanced
environmental technology, and underscore our company's strong
commitment to responsible sustainability practices," said
Mike Kaczmarek, vice president of
corporate marine technology for Carnival Corporation. "Due to the
success we have had with improving air quality with our systems, we
have expanded our commitment to install and deploy this technology
from an original 32 vessels to over 85 through the end of 2020.
This is part of our ongoing focus on evaluating new technologies,
employing new shipbuilding techniques and implementing
energy-saving initiatives throughout our fleet to protect the
health and vitality of the oceans, seas and communities in which we
operate."
Carnival Corporation's Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems, known for
their ability to clean – or "scrub" – exhaust from high-sulfur
fuel, are currently installed and certified on 17 Carnival Cruise
Line vessels, 13 Holland America Line vessels, 10 Princess Cruises
vessels, seven Costa Cruises vessels, five AIDA Cruises vessels,
four P&O Cruises UK vessels, three Cunard vessels and one
P&O Cruises Australia vessel. The installation schedule for the
remaining vessels will be forthcoming.
Carnival Corporation pioneered adapting a proven land-based
exhaust gas cleaning technology into a marine system that is
suitable for the restricted spaces available on cruise ships,
leading to a significant development in shipboard environmental
technology.
The sulfur reduction program is in line with other proactive
steps Carnival Corporation has taken to reduce its carbon
footprint, including the adoption of LNG – the world's cleanest
burning fossil fuel. In 2015, AIDAsol from the company's AIDA
Cruises brand was the first cruise ship in the world to be supplied
with power by an LNG Hybrid barge and, last year, the newly
delivered AIDAprima became the first cruise ship to routinely use
LNG with a dual-fuel powered engine while in port. By 2019, with
the introduction of the first of seven fully LNG-powered vessels,
Carnival Corporation will be the first cruise company in the world
to use LNG to power cruise ships both while they are in port and on
the open sea.
"With the International Maritime Organization, the Cruise Lines
Industry Association and various government organizations all
calling for improved efficiency in clean operations, we see the
installation of exhaust cleaning systems and use of clean fuels as
steps to future-proof our fleet," said Kaczmarek. "We are proud to
be ahead of the curve in meeting the upcoming regulations and
guidelines."
Information on Carnival Corporation's sustainability
initiatives, including exhaust gas cleaning systems and other
industry-leading initiatives, is available on the sustainability
section of its website.
About Carnival Corporation
& plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest
leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise
brands in North America,
Europe, Australia and Asia comprised of Carnival Cruise Line,
Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports
around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths with 19 new
ships scheduled to be delivered between 2017 and 2022.
Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America
Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both
the New York and London Stock
Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the
world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100
indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.fathom.org, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com,
www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au and www.pocruises.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc