Cruise ship pollutes the atmosphere with sulfur dioxide, as 376 million cars

    The largest marine container ships with engines with a capacity of more than 100,000 horsepower in 2009 emitted 5,200 tons of sulfur dioxide each into the atmosphere, which is equal to emissions of this substance from 51 million cars. And even this figure can be considered low compared to the 16-deck cruise liner Harmony of Seas: it alone "replaces" 376 million cars. Therefore, residents of British Southampton rejoice at his departure from the port.

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    The sea cruise market has been growing in recent years. The French company Ponant has four vessels for 250 guests each, the Queen Mary 2 liner accommodates 2,500 people, but the largest of these vessels is the Royal Carribean Harmony of Seas. 6780 passengers, who are served by 2100 crew members, can simultaneously relax on it. Cruise companies position their segment as bright, clean and environmentally friendly tourism. In fact, everything happens exactly the opposite .

    According to the Guardian, one large cruise ship emits as much as 83,000 cars, carbon dioxide as 421,000 cars, particulate matter as one million cars, and sulfur dioxide as 376 million ICE cars into the atmosphere. And the sixteen-deck Harmony of Seas is the largest of them, its three engines per hour are able to spend 5212 liters of diesel fuel.

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    Southampton is the second largest container ship in the UK and the busiest cruise terminal in Europe. The World Health Organization mentions Southampton as a city with a high level of pollution, while not having production facilities on the territory. Dirty air causes asthma and lung disease.

    Residents of the city are sure that the liners are to blame for the pollution of the atmosphere of the city. While the ship is in port, it uses special fuel with a low sulfur content, but the air does not get any cleaner. “Fuel oil contains 3,500 times more sulfur than diesel, which is used in vehicles. The ships do not have such abatement technologies as particle filters, which are common for cars and trucks, ”experts say. Every day, there are up to five sea vessels at the city’s port, which increase traffic in the city during the delivery of goods, which also affects pollution.

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    Type Harmony of Seas on the upper deck

    By dataTransport & Environment organization, the death of 50,000 people in Europe per year is directly related to emissions from international ships, which costs the company 58 billion euros. In Florida, pollution from ships annually leads to 60,000 deaths.

    In 1980, 1.4 million people went on sea cruises on liners. In 2006 - 15 million, and in 2016 this number will increase to 24 million passengers. The industry shows no signs of decline, its volume amounted to $ 119.9 billion in 2015, and it gave jobs to almost a million people.

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