The comparison slaps. According to a study by the NGO Transport and Environment, published this Thursday, “the 75 cruise ships which docked in Marseille in 2022 emitted more sulfur oxides than all the cars registered in the city”. This places the Marseille city in 12th place among the European ports most polluted by these leisure ships. Le Havre, in 18th place, is the other French port found in this ranking, where Barcelona is the worst student. Compared to 2019, the date of their last study on this subject, sulfur emissions have fallen by 23%, however, recognizes the association, while specifying that it is a “trompe-l’oeil”. It underlines the role of “scrubbers”, these filters installed in the chimneys of ships, much criticized for moving air pollution towards the sea.
Another charge of the association: liquefied natural gas (LNG), with which more and more cruise ships are equipped. “Although it reduces CO2 emissions, this fuel increases methane emissions”, notes Transport and Environment, deploring that these emissions “related to cruise ships in Europe have been multiplied by five between 2019 and 2022”. The study, specifies Nicolas Raffin, spokesman for the NGO, is based on estimates of discharges from the characteristics of the 218 cruise ships in service in Europe.
“Shipowners play on confusion”
The reactions were not long in coming. “It doesn’t surprise us that Marseille is twelfth in the ranking, it’s one of the biggest cruise ports in the Mediterranean, so there is inevitably the pollution that goes with it,” says Sophie from Stop Croisières. The collective will carry out an action at sea against LNG on Saturday. “Shipowners play on the confusion and communicate thoroughly on a more sustainable cruise thinking to solve air pollution,” she explains. While it must be remembered, these floating cities with swimming pools, ice rinks, go-kart tracks, etc., are ecological nonsense. »
“We need to plan a scenario for exiting cruises in Europe”, abounds Sébastien Barles, assistant for ecological transition (EELV), who wants to carry and develop “another tourist model” for the city. “The cruise lobby must stop in Marseille”, pleads the elected official. Comments that Jean-François Suhas, president of the Marseille Provence cruise club, will appreciate, who denounces a study “based on theoretical calculations”. He prefers to rely on the study commissioned by the large maritime port at the Mediterranean Sea cluster, the results of which are expected in 2024. The subject is the impact of maritime transport on air quality in Marseille.
One step aside
Still, the Transport and Environment study raises a question: is the comparison always right? In a balancing act, Damien Piga, director of external relations and innovation at AtmoSud, tries to bring nuance. “Pollution figures between cars and cruise ships are often requested, but this comparison does not necessarily make sense in relation to a change in behavior, he explains. We are not in competitive modes of travel, like with the plane or the train, but in different sectors of activity. In one case, we are also on occasional pollution, when the boat docks, when that of the cars is continuous. The analysis grid, for AtmoSud, is thus more to bear on the weight of each activity in the air pollution of Marseille.
“The trend is towards a reduction in the road sector, the renewal of the fleet of which is much faster than for ships”, continues Damien Piga. On this point, the observation is in line with the NGO Transport and Environment. On the other hand, AtmoSud takes a step aside on sulfur emissions: “We focus on it but it is not an issue in port areas”, he says, explaining that the plumes of smoke from boats at the quay only carry a tiny part, and after an hour, of fine sulfur particles, which otherwise remain in a gaseous state. AtmoSud points more worried attention to nitrogen oxide and ultra-fine particles.
“This study highlights a problem, but not through the right prism”, regrets Damien Piga. “To move in the right direction and get everyone around the table, you have to feed the reflections with the right data,” he adds. An opinion that does not share Sébasien Barles, for whom the Transport and Environment study comes in addition “to an already well-documented sulfur pollution”. At the very least, the NGO has the merit with this shocking comparison of recalling the urgency of seizing and dealing with the subject of pollution generated by the cruise industry.