The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and SEA Europe have called for the EU to include cruise ship building and maritime technology in the Nett Zero Industry Act.
The call came in a joint declaration by the two organisations at the CLIA’s 2023 European Summit in Paris.
At the launch of the declaration, CLIA Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “Cruise lines don’t just provide one of the most popular holiday options for consumers today, but they are also already partnering with shipyards and maritime technology providers to achieve nett-zero cruising by 2050. Pilot projects are under way to test new fuels and propulsion solutions such as batteries, fuel cell technology, advanced biofuels, and synthetic fuels.
“It is now time for European policymakers and governments to partner with the maritime technology sector. Europe has an opportunity to lead the way in technology development and maritime excellence for the benefit of future generations.”
According to Maritimes, over 93% of the world’s ocean cruise lines are built in European shipyards, and cruise ship building represents around 80% of the order book of shipyards.
The joint declaration calls for:
- Faster access to funding for sustainable shipbuilding and the manufacturing of maritime equipment to support Europe’s world-leading position in this sector.
- Expansion of support and incentives for retrofit programmes and deployment of renewable energy for maritime.
- A dedicated maritime programme as part of the EU Pact for Skills so that digital, green, and technical skills stay in Europe.
- Maritime to be placed at the heart of the EU’s digital strategy to enable knowledge-share of the sector’s advanced digitalisation practices.
