By the Numbers
Each day, cruise ships generate an astonishing amount of pollution:
– 25,000 gallons of sewage from toilets
– 143,000 gallons of sewage from sinks, galleys and showers
– Seven tons of garbage and solid waste
– 15 gallons of toxic chemicals
– 7,000 gallons of oily bilge water
– More than 200 cruise ships carry millions of passengers to ports around the globe each year
– From 2000-2003, cruise embarkations increased by 1.83 million, a 23 percent increase over the three-year period
– In 2003, U.S. ports handled an estimated 7.1 million cruise embarkations, an increase of 9.4 percent from 2002
