A Johns Hopkins professor has published a report claiming that pollution levels on some cruise ship decks are as bad as in Beijing, based on measurements taken on four ships.
Ryan Kennedy based his report on measurements at various deck locations on Carnival Freedom, Carnival Liberty, Holland America’s Amsterdam and Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess between Oct. 2017 and November 2018.
Concentrations of particulate matter (liquid droplets or solids found in the air) were measured at the bow, stern and exercise areas of each ship. Kennedy found that the levels were significantly higher behind the smokestacks, up to eight times higher.
Kennedy pointed out that even in open water, the levels persist because the ship’s engines run full-time to produce electricity for cabins and kitchens, etc. as well as moving the ship.
Spokespeople for Carnival Corp., which owns all three brands, said they are spending large amounts of money on ‘greener’ ships, but also disputed that there is a problem now. They also questioned Kennedy’s data collection methods.
