Carnival Corporation announced agreements with maritime reclamation and ship recycling specialists EGE CELIK and SIMSEKLER to "responsibly dismantle and recycle" two retired cruise ships scheduled to leave its fleet - CCL-Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration.
The move came as part of the Corporation’s strategy for a phased resumption of sailings with specific brands and ships returning to service over time. Carnival worked with the non-profit Bellona Foundation (lead partner in NGO Shipbreaking Platform) and the specialized recycling company Sea2Cradle BV (Rotterdam Holland) in order to formulate an approach to recycling the vessels.
The organizations helped identify best certified maritime vessel retirement solutions that are able to reuse, reclaim and recycle retired vessels in support of Carnival Corporation’s commitment to a sustainable industry.
Bill Burke, a chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation, said:
“Our highest responsibility and top priorities are compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the communities we visit and our crew.
“That commitment extends to our cruise ships, starting from the moment a ship becomes part of our fleet and continuing all the way through to its retirement. In addition to limiting our vessels’ impact on the environment throughout their service time in our fleet, recycling our retired ships following the European Ship Recycling Regulation ensures we are applying the highest global standards and contributing to a sustainable cruise industry.”
Following an intensive review of sustainable ship recycling facilities, the Corporation chose Turkey-based EGE CELIK and SIMSEKLER based on the track records of compliance with key environmental agreements and regulations.
Aliaga Ship Recycling Facility (north of Port Izmir, Turkey's Aegean Sea coast) is currently ranked Europe's largest and the world's 4th-largest shipbreaking yard - following Alang (India), Chittagong (Bangladesh) and Gadani (Pakistan).