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At the event – Showcasing the UK as a cruise destination – Carnival UK president and vice president of CLIA Europe David Dingle told delegates, “Top of our priorities is maritime decarbonisation and the cruise industry is at the forefront of maritime decarbonisation. We encourage government to work faster and harder and we are working harder to decarbonise as fast as we can.”

He singled out the importance of shore power in ports and highlighted the recent achievements of Portsmouth port in the UK for getting a “very significant government grant” (just announced). “This is extremely important,” Mr Dingle commented, adding, “We are pushing the agenda hard.”

He added that while there is a “huge amount” of talk about alternative fuels, it is important to remember that these, such as hydrogen and ammonia, would probably not be ready for another 15 years. And therefore, he underlined the importance of biofuels.

“We want to get to the decarbonisation goal as soon as we can and that is why biofuels are so important.”

But there are challenges. “There are not enough biofuels – everybody wants it,” said Mr Dingle. He singled out how the aviation sector has been prioritised for biofuels.

“We are making it absolutely clear that the shipping and the cruise industry is also a difficult industry to decarbonise, we are making our case forcefully and are proud to be leaders of decarbonisation in the maritime sector.”

He indicated that biofuels would lead the way for the cruise industry in the UK, adding, “We want Britain to have a very successful decarbonisation and help to lead the way.”

CLIA president and chief executive Kelly Craighead also spoke to the audience and provided some positive figures: the global cruise industry in 2023 is 106% of the passenger capacity of 2019 and early indicators are that the first half of 2023 is 15% up on 2023. She labelled that as a “tremendous accomplishment”.