On the occasion of World Oceans Day on June 8, Jalesh Cruises, India’s first premium cruise line shares measures taken for responsible cruising. Cruise tourism in India has the potential to grow to four million passengers in the next 10 years. While this may bring the much needed buoyancy to the industry and travel economy, it also indicates the large scale impact the industry may have on the environment, if not addressed in the right manner.
World over, cruise tourism has often been criticised for not adopting environment friendly and sustainable practices. Similar reaction is expected from citizens and stakeholders in India as the industry sails toward its expansion.
Being India’s first premium cruise line, Jalesh Cruises takes it as it responsibility to take the right steps from the beginning and leading by example of being an environmentally conscious cruise line.
Jurgen Bailom, President and CEO, Jalesh Cruises said, “We are elated about Jalesh Cruises’ Clean Waves programme and that we are able to contribute to an important cause to protect the oceans and the environment. The programme aims to advocate clean and sustainable practices to allay the impact on the environment.”
The cruise line has an environment system with an aim to get it independently certified to ISO 14001, which is the most widely recognised global standard for improving environmental performance.
The cruise liner has on-boarded waste treatment facilities to ensure that all wastewater is optimally managed to curtail its impact on the oceans. A policy has been adopted wherein all general waste is treated on-board to reduce its volume prior to landing ashore, along with the recycling of general waste. Jalesh Cruises has adopted the Cruise Industry Waste Management Policy, which is one of the most comprehensive and advanced set of practices for waste disposal in the marine environment.
Being fully aware of the silent threat posed by plastic in terms of environmental health, Jalesh Cruises looks to reduce plastic disposed in landfills. The cruise liner plans to back their practices up by investing in further research in order to identify new ways to reduce the amount of plastics brought on board ships through sourcing and product selection.
Apart from the health of the oceans, Jalesh Cruises also looks reducing air emissions from its ships. The cruise liner has implemented fuel efficiency measures, including improved hull coatings, low energy lamps, increased recirculation of waste heat and improved efficiency in air conditioning.
An Environment Officer dedicated to the administration of green practices on board has been added to the ranks of the cruise liner. Jalesh Cruises employs crew members incentivized to reduce waste, with crew members at all levels bringing garbage to the recycling room where they hand-sort everything into a variety of bins.
