Cruise ships visiting Reykjavik harbour cause more emissions than the entire fleet of year-round fishing ships at the same port, according to the port authority’s data, revealing that cruise ships released 14,300 tonnes of emissions at the port, a 50% increase from 2016.
In the meantime, fishing vessels in the same port emits some 10,200 tonnes, while domestic flights released 23,000 tonnes of emissions in 2017, according to data provided by Reykjavik Grapevine.
This data was presented by Faxaflói Harbour Administration to a formal question posed to them by Vigdís Hauksdóttir, a Reykjavik City councilperson for the Centre Party.
An emissions assessment in 2014 identified the emissions of a cruise ship while at harbor as a major source of air pollution.
In a single 24-hour period, one cruise ship leaving its generators running continuously can burn enough oil to equal the pollution from 10,000 cars.
However, there is currently no shore power option for ships at the port.
Cruise industry is gaining a momentum in Reykjavik over the last years, with 167 cruise ships arriving in Iceland in 2018, and an estimated 194 expected this year.
Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland rose by 2.2% between 2016 and 2017, and are up by 85% from 1990 levels, a report from the Environment Agency of Iceland (UST) earlier in 2019 revealed.