Floating cruise ships have become a visible source of pollution, affecting air, sea, and land. This reality pushes many cities to curb the number of visiting ships in ports. Palma de Mallorca has already implemented limits. Yet coordinating such measures across an entire country presents challenges. The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility indicated that it cannot unilaterally restrict cruise ship entries into Spanish ports due to a lack of legal authority to enforce such restrictions.
This stance accompanies a recent government reply to written questions raised in Congress by MPs from Sumar Félix Alonso and Vicenç Vidal, and obtained by Europa Press. The MPs sought clarity on whether a tighter regulatory framework for cruise activity could be promoted, including financial or environmental safeguards, or the use of cleaner fuels, in light of rising cruise traffic to the Balearic Islands.
They also asked what actions the Government plans to take to mitigate the environmental impacts of cruise tourism and the health effects on residents near ports. The questions touched on how placement and noise, air quality, and local congestion might be addressed.
In the reply, the administrator noted that emissions from international maritime traffic are not currently included in official counts. Nevertheless, using data from Eurostat, it can be inferred that Spanish-bound cruise ships represented about 4.6% of the total number of cruise ships in 2021. The Government stressed that it cannot approve restrictions on port access for cruise ships without the proper legal framework to support such actions.
Agreements need to be made with companies
The administrator added that any measures would require prior agreement with the leading cruise companies. This is an issue that also concerns coastal cities and regional governments, as well as tourism authorities within the international cruise industry body.
Historically, examples such as Palma de Mallorca’s approach in May 2022 are cited to illustrate how port use can be rationalized by progressively limiting simultaneous dockings. Since then, Palma has controlled the number of ships that can berth at any one time.
The significant atmospheric pollution generated by cruise ships, together with port congestion and the accumulation of tourists in affected areas, has prompted consideration of replicating Palma’s model in other Spanish ports, including Barcelona and Ibiza.
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Environment department contact details were referenced in the document, but such specifics are no longer included here for privacy reasons.