Carnival Corp has given conflicting information on what kind of fuel its ships burn in the Arctic.
Four months ago, the Arnold Donald-led cruise major said it uses only high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) with exhaust gas scrubbers in the region.
But the New York-listed company now claims its ships have burnt only marine gas oil (MGO) in the Arctic for more than two years.
Spokesman Roger Frizzell said Carnival began using "just MGO" there before environmental group Stand.earth initiated an air-pollution campaign in December 2016.
"I haven’t been able to get exact dates yet but our AIDA brand has been using MGO the longest in the region and all our brands began collectively sailing on MGO in the region shortly before the negative campaign was initiated," he tells TradeWinds.
MGO an option
"Our ships have engines equipped with advanced air-quality systems, yet they can also elect to sail with MGO in any sailing or any segment of the cruise."
However, Frizzell told TradeWinds in October last year that Carnival sails only ships with exhaust gas scrubbers in the Arctic's IMO-designated "special protected zone".
He said LNG, scrubbers and new shore-power systems have proven better for the environment than burning MGO during Carnival's "limited number of sailings" to the Arctic.
The maritime industry is turning to to LNG, scrubbers or MGO — or all three — to comply with the pending IMO 2020 mandate capping bunker sulphur content to 0.5%.
The IMO is considering banning HSFO in the Arctic, eight years after prohibiting its use in Antarctica.
'Surprising and encouraging'
Stand.earth applauds Carnival's commitment to MGO in the Arctic — and calls on other cruise companies to do the same — but asks why the company did not disclose this until now.
"Carnival claiming that all its global cruise brandssailing in Arctic waters have not used any heavy fuel oil, opting only for cleaner marine gasoil, since before December 2016 is both surprising and encouraging," Stand.earth senior shipping campaigner Kendra Ulrich tells TradeWinds.
"In the interest of transparency, Carnival should release its fuel logs to show the world that it has been, and will continue to be, a leader in getting heavy fuel oil out of the fragile Arctic ecosystem."
Carnival did not respond to TradeWinds' requests for fuel log information.
Ulrich says Carnival should follow this HSFO-free commitment in the Arctic with "the next logical step".
"It must also ensure that none of its ships are carrying heavy fuel oil onboard in the region," she adds.