How many of you take vacations on a cruise ship? I am sure you are tempted by the idea of traveling to tropical islands and quaint cities. You might also enjoy getting a suntan while sitting by the pool. Perhaps you enjoy all of the dining and entertainment options which are found on board a larger cruiser. You could eat a four course meal with wine on one evening, see a dance performance, or go gambling. If you saw pretty pictures of yellow and blue fish you could decide to go snorkeling or scuba diving. Just beware of what I am about to tell you.

About 20 million people board cruise ships each year. That said, the average cruise ship holds about 3,000 people but newer ones hold 8,000 passengers. What the cruise ship industry is not telling you is the average ship with 3,000 people and crew produces 21,000 gallons of sewage per day. That is enough sewage to fill ten swimming pools in one week. Where does that waste go? It goes, untreated, into the water. This means harmful levels of fecal matter, heavy metals, bacteria, and other contaminants are dumped into the ocean or river. Federal law says sewage only has to be treated if the ship is within 3 nautical miles of shore. Scuba diving or snorkeling might not sound so tempting right now.

The average cruise ships emits more sulfur dioxide than 13 million cars and more soot than 1 million cars. The industry could do better. One way would be use cleaner fuels and have ships plug into onshore power. Cruise lines could also replace sewage treatment technology which is 35 years old. If you don’t like the idea of swimming with sewage, tropical fish and dolphins don’t either. The next time you book a trip, opt for an environmentally friendly cruise line.