Lisbon, one of the major European ports for cruise ships, is proposing new regulations to limit the pollution it says is caused by the ships.
A resolution passed by the Municipal Assembly directs the port authorities to move on two fronts: to “create conditions for the supply of electricity to ships moored at the Lisbon Cruises Terminal,” allowing ships in port to shut down their engines and second, to “restrict the docking of cruise ships based on the fuel used and the amount of polluting emissions produced.”
Lisbon’s moves differ from a number of other cities where the concern has been local infrastructure and spaces being overwhelmed by cruise visitors; instead it focuses on a report that “These ships are responsible for about 3.5 times more sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions than all the cars in the city for a full year and for one fifth of total nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions.”
