Madrid – July 30, 2018 – Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Norwegian) (NYSE: NCLH), a leading global cruise company that operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, has announced the next significant step in its efforts to reduce its environmental impact by eliminating single-use plastic straws across its 26 ships and its two island destinations, Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye. The company anticipates eliminating more than 50 million plastic straws annually across its fleet with these changes.
As a member of the Ocean Conservancy Trash Free Seas Alliance®,the company is actively working to find solutions that help reduce plastic waste in the ocean. The transition to non-single-use plastic products across the company's fleet and at its island destinations stems from the company's long-standing environmental efforts to increase the use of sustainable sources, minimize landfill waste, invest in emerging technologies, and reduce CO2emissions.
“In line with our global environmental program, ‘Sail & Sustain,’ we are eliminating single-use plastic straws, which will also allow us to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Frank Del Rio, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “As members of the Trash Free Seas Alliance®, we are committed to doing our part to protect the world’s oceans so that future generations can enjoy them.”.
Janis Searles Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Conservancy, commented, “We congratulate Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings on this important step toward reducing the use of single-use plastic products. Plastic straws make up only a tiny fraction of the plastic in the ocean, but they consistently rank among the top ten items found in Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup and can be lethal to ocean wildlife. For this reason, we have always recommended that all our advocates avoid using straws whenever possible.”.
Founded in 2012, the Trash Free Seas Alliance® brings together leaders from industry, conservation, and academia to create a pragmatic, real-world collaboration forum focused on quantifiable ocean waste reduction.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' global environmental program, "Sail & Sustain," reflects the company's goal of providing truly exceptional cruise vacation experiences for all its guests while minimizing its environmental impact. To learn more about Norwegian's commitment to environmental stewardship, please visit the company's website at http://www.nclhltd.com/Stewardship.
In this regard, and continuing with the company's environmental initiatives, Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) and the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) to organize the second annual ocean conservation-themed cruise on the Norwegian Escape, which will take place this fall with destinations such as the Bahamas and Florida.
Departing on October 21 from New York, guests sailing on this unforgettable cruise will experience a week full of opportunities to meet Guy Harvey, a world-renowned marine artist, as he hosts specially planned events on ocean conservation and has also been the mastermind behind the hull design of the Norwegian Escape.
