Based on what I know of cruise ships, I would bet that an ocean liner across the Atlantic wood burn even more fuel than a plane for the same number of people.
Rough calculation indicates that it would take about 3,000 gallons of fuel per person to go across the Atlantic.
My undersranding is plane is one of the most polluting mode of transportation, all things being equal. It probably vary a lot depending on the specific ship/plane, route, …
Thanks. This explain why cruise ships are much more wasteful than ferries:
perhaps the biggest difference is the payload. […] The reason, of course, is that a cruise ship is a floating village, with shops, restaurants, swimming pools and the like
This is why it’s important to compare transportation mode all things being equal. Keep in mind there’s lot of people flying coach, very few planes with individual cabins and restaurants. Cruise ships are designed for entertainment and luxury. Ferries are designed for transportation.
Cruise ships need a lot of fuel because of their high speed. In general, sea transport is quite fuel-efficient. And battery technology like liquid redox-flow cells is advancing, too.
BTW the same issue about speed is valid for high velocity trains.
Based on what I know of cruise ships, I would bet that an ocean liner across the Atlantic wood burn even more fuel than a plane for the same number of people.
Rough calculation indicates that it would take about 3,000 gallons of fuel per person to go across the Atlantic.
I’d be interested into some data on this topic.
My undersranding is plane is one of the most polluting mode of transportation, all things being equal. It probably vary a lot depending on the specific ship/plane, route, …
Data from the UK’s Department for Energy Securityand Net Zero (2022) shows the carbon footprint is 8x higher for short/long-haul fight than for ferry. (CO2eq per passenger-km). Carbon footprint is strongly coupled with fuel consumption. It’s not quite the same, but I’d expect the ratio to be roughly the same.
It looks like cruise ships [are significantly worse](epn07501.pdf https://share.google/fD7gRD431iLtVZbUU) than airplanes. About four times more fuel.
Thanks. This explain why cruise ships are much more wasteful than ferries:
This is why it’s important to compare transportation mode all things being equal. Keep in mind there’s lot of people flying coach, very few planes with individual cabins and restaurants. Cruise ships are designed for entertainment and luxury. Ferries are designed for transportation.
Cruise ships need a lot of fuel because of their high speed. In general, sea transport is quite fuel-efficient. And battery technology like liquid redox-flow cells is advancing, too.
BTW the same issue about speed is valid for high velocity trains.