Cruises and the city

Cruises and environment

What are the sectors that release the most emissions in Barcelona? How much water does a cruise ship consume? How is its waste recycled? When will we see zero-emission cruise ships?

Infographic "Cruise industry: water self-sufficiency and responsible use". Barcelona (2022): water supplied to cruise ships accounted for 0.09% of the city's total water consumption. Cruise ships produce up to 90% of the fresh water they use via reverse osmosis and vacuum evaporators, and reduce consumption with vacuum toilets, flow reducers and air-conditioning water reuse. 77% of the CLIA fleet already has advanced wastewater treatment systems.

CO2 emissions in Barcelona by sector

Emissions from maritime activities are 10.9% of the total, including not only cruise ship emissions but all port activity. If we focus only on cruise ship activity, CO2 emissions are 1.3% of total emissions in the city of Barcelona and NOx emissions are 0.7%.

Pie chart "CO2 emissions in Barcelona by sector": Transport 27.41%, Services 20.59%, Domestic 20.04%, Port and airport 12.86% (of which cruises 3.1%), Municipal waste treatment 10.67%, Industry 7.67%, Other 0.4%.
To learn more about

How much water do cruise ships consume?

Cruise ships have long been an example of self-sufficiency and water independence thanks to advanced desalination and reuse equipment that allows them not to be dependent on the water resources of the destinations. Eighty percent of cruise ships calling at Barcelona do not take on water at the port because they do not need it. In 2022, water consumption by cruise ships was 0.09% of the total water consumed in Barcelona.

Infographic "How much water do cruise ships use?": map of the Barcelona coastline with the Port marked and the figure 80% - 8 out of 10 cruise ships don't need to take on water
More information on

Onboard waste management

Today, shipping companies have an environmental department headed by and Environmental Officer. Shis are equipped with sophisticated systems that allow the utilization of almost 100% of the waste generated on board through disposal, reuse, recycling...

Illustration of the recycling symbol surrounded by icons representing different types of waste (glass, paper, cardboard, cans, textiles, plastic)

Suspended particles

The Port's cruise activity is responsible for 0.7% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 0.16% of suspended particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in Barcelona. The sector's contribution to air pollution is not only very modest, but also decreased by 10% compared to a 2016 study. If we only focus on cruise activity, CO2 emissions represent 3.1% of total emissions in the city of Barcelona.

NOX ENG 2

Towards zero-emission cruise ships

The Port of Barcelona wants to minimize the environmental impact of port activities, such as cruise ship stairs, as much as possible. To this end, it has launched a series of programs and measures to achieve this objective in the medium and long term, such as promoting the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or renewable energies such as solar or wind power. A program has also been launched to change and upgrade the port's entire electrical gr

Mobility with liquefied natural gas (LNG)

LNG is an alternative, clean and ecological fuel that reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 90% and CO2 by 40% without producing sulfur compounds or particles and without polluting soil or water in case of spillage. At the Port of Barcelona we promote the use of this ecological fuel for ships, trucks and port equipment to achieve sustainable maritime transport and comply with the 2020 IMO (International Maritime Organization) standard.

Giving value to environmentally friendly boats

60% of the cruise ships calling at the Port of Barcelona have been built after 2010 and produce up to 20% less emissions, and 10% of the ships arriving in Barcelona already run on LNG. To increase these figures and achieve our goals, in addition to promoting sustainability in the industry, we offer a range of discounts on green ships when using the port grounds and its facilities.

See discounts

Climate action

Since 2018, the Port of Barcelona has been part of the World Ports Climate Action Program, in which we have joined forces with other leading ports to fight climate change by improving and developing mechanisms to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping. The Port of Barcelona is also working to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations into its business strategy.
View the program

Related news and agenda