the “Wonder of the Seas”, the largest liner in the world, attracts criticism
The ship has been the subject of finishing works since November 9 at the port of L’Estaque. While some seem to admire such an excess, others believe that it distorts the landscape and deteriorates the quality of the air.
He seems to inspire admiration as much as distrust. The “Wonder of the Seas”, the largest cruise liner in the world, arrived in Marseille on November 9th. It is at the port of L’Estaque that the finishing works of this colossus of the seas, 362 meters long, 66 meters wide and with a capacity of 9,300 people, must be carried out before it is put into service in the Caribbean. next March.
“He’s a monster,” smiled a curious woman, binoculars in hand, the day she arrived in Marseille. “So everything that is exceptional attracts me. (…) Usually, we look at cormorants. Today it’s a little more interesting than the cormorants. “
And another Marseillaise to abound: “I am waiting for the Wonder of the Seas, the last generation liner. It is the admiration of what the human being can manage to build”.
“I have the impression of smoking three packs of cigarettes”
But residents of the Estaque district, who cannot escape the sight of this package as tall as a 20-story building on a daily basis, are starting to tire of it. Some believe it distorts the landscape. Other assures that it is “magnificent”, “magical”, but that “for the lungs, it does not go”.
“In the morning, instead of smelling the sea, you can smell fuel oil or petroleum, regrets a resident. I have the impression of smoking three packs of cigarettes.”
These scents are linked to the engine of the liner, “still diesel”, according to Richard Hardouin, president of France Nature Environnement in the Bouches-du-Rhône.
Yet a greener packagebot?
Its fuel “is 100 times more polluting than the diesel of cars”, assures the interested party. Especially since it risks using, I think, smoke washers. This allows it to use a less refined fuel, generally 0.5 or even 3.5 “.
The cruise line Royal Caribbean International denies having built a “greener” ship, which emits 30% less greenhouse gases than other liners, and which can be connected to the quayside to avoid running the engines .
“Shipowners are virtuous now in cruise ships”, recognizes Richard Hardouin. However, “the large port of Marseille is not because it does not offer the capacity for ships to connect. The responsibility does not lie with cruise passengers but with the large port of Marseille”.
According to the NGO Transport and Environment, the port of Marseille was the eighth most polluted in Europe in 2019. In particular, due to the presence of cruise ships.