Metamorphosis - Cruise Ship Portal

In the pipeline
While technology that reduces metal content in water continues to
elude the industry, steps are being taken towards its development.
HAL already has advanced wastewater treatment systems on 12 of
its 15 ships that can, according to Morani, treat water to the quality of
any sophisticated shore-side system, and is currently partnering with
sister cruise line Princess Cruises, also part of the Carnival Corporation,
to develop technology that will reduce ammonium in its wastewater.
The company is also looking at how its use of laundry detergents and
cleaning products could help reduce the impact on the environment.
“We’re doing the best we can,” says Morani.
RCCL is testing two systems that Pruitt hopes might be developed
into Alaska-standard compliant technologies. One system, by US
company Navalis Environmental Systems, is currently being tested on
the Rhapsody of the Seas. The system is a new version of an old
process tested by RCCL in 2000 that involved oxidation with ozone
coupled with a bioreactor (a living colony of beneficial bacteria). The
advantage of the Navalis system is that it does not require the use of a
bioreactor, which makes it more time efficient (bioreactors can take
months to replenish if they incur any trouble), while also reducing its
footprint. But when breaking new ground, any R&D project is bound
to hit a few walls. “We really hoped this [system] would be something
we could move forward on many of our ships. But we’ve run into
some serious snags on the Rhapsody to get it to meet the capacity,”
says Pruitt. “It’s one thing to say you can take grey water and black
water and create near-drinking water, but it has to treat all of the
water on board. We’re having some problems with getting the
through-put that we need to treat all the water on board, so that
probably will impact our self-imposed deadline for getting it done.”
Other processes under trial by RCCL for treating wastewater
include ion exchange and specific applications for reverse osmosis.
While these are not new technologies, the process of using reverse
osmosis after the wastewater treatment to further reduce ammonium
levels is a new approach.
“The problem [with that] is we’d have to install two advanced
wastewater systems on a ship that barely has space to install one,”
says Pruitt. If the Alaskan standards cannot be met by 2015, Morani
anticipates the consequences will be drastic. “It may force us to
move elsewhere or to find a different area to operate in,” he says.
HAL has eight ships sailing four itineraries in Alaska this year, but
has reduced the number of sailings for the MS Amsterdam by ten,
while Royal Caribbean International, which usually has three ships
sailing the region, has announced it will redeploy its Serenade of the
Seas from Alaska to San Juan in Puerto Rico. Norwegian Cruise Line
has similarly redirected the Norwegian Sun from Alaska to Europe.
Economic reasons have been cited as the main grounds for
itineraries moving out of Alaskan waters – but the strict discharging
laws certainly won’t make it any easier or more inviting for cruise
lines to make the move back in. �
Profiles
William Morani joined HAL as director of environmental
compliance in May 2003 before becoming vice-resident in
2005. He is responsible for ensuring the company complies with
environmental regulations and policies.
Richard Pruitt is Royal Caribbean Cruises’ director of
environmental programmes and is responsible for the regulatory
compliance efforts of a fleet of 38 ships and the cruise line’s
environmental programme.
Insight > Environmental issues
Marine Refrigeration
more than meets the eye
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