The Crystal Serenity cruise ship is making a 32-day voyage from Anchorage to New York City. With around 1,000 passengers aboard, it is the largest vessel ever to travel the Northwest Passage. Meanwhile, the potential environmental impact of a journey of that scope has some worried.
Austin Ahmasuk refers to the Crystal Serenity as “a floating city.” It certainly contains enough people, and produces enough waste. Ahmasuk is a marine advocate at the Kawerak regional non-profit corporation, and he is nervous about what happens when a floating city moves through a delicate region like the Arctic.
“We have some very deep-felt and heartfelt concerns about what is happening in the Arctic,” he said.
Alaska Native communities rely on fish and marine mammals for subsistence. Ahmasuk worries that cruise ships could damage the ecosystem and threaten that subsistence lifestyle. What’s more, he does not think the cruise industry is listening.
“Honestly, I don’t know that our concerns are being fully heard,” he said. “I honestly cannot say that with a straight face.”
He’s not alone in his misgivings. Marcie Keever directs the oceans and vessels program at an environmental group called Friends of the Earth, and she is worried, too.
“When a ship like Crystal is going, because of its size, because of the length of time, there’s lots of reasons why a ship like that is a big concern,” said Keever.
Friends of the Earth released their latest cruise ship report card in June. The report card grades cruise lines on their commitment to protecting the environment. What grades did Crystal Cruises get?
Sewage treatment: F. Air pollution reduction: F. Transparency: F. It ranked seventeenth out of seventeen cruise lines.
Crystal Cruises has spoken out against the report card. So has the Cruise Lines International Association. John Binkley, the president of their Alaska branch, believes that people should look to the Coast Guard to regulate the industry, not to environmental groups.
“And similar to our political parties today, I believe that the Friends of the Earth are trying to divide people, really, with radical and unfounded claims,” said Binkley.
While the Crystal Serenity does not meet the standards set by Friends of the Earth, it does comply with all federal regulations. Plus, the ship has pledged to use cleaner fuel while it’s in Alaskan waters. Even Marcie Keever admits that the Crystal Serenity is not at the heart of the problem.
“Our concern is not necessarily just the Serenity. It’s the number and size of cruise ships and other ocean-going vessels that are going up over the top of the world,” she said.
If the Crystal Serenity successfully completes its voyage, it is likely other large ships will follow. The Serenity already plans to return in 2017. Keever points out that if those ships contribute to climate change in the Arctic, then they are making their own passage just a little bit easier. Melted ice means a smoother trip.
“The only reason that this cruise is even possible is due, in small part, to the cruise industry,” said Keever.
For now, the Crystal Serenity cruises on alone. It is expected to arrive in Pond Inlet on Sunday.
