OceanEvent offers climate-neutral cruise events

CLIMATE-NEUTRAL

Climate change is the biggest challenge on our planet since the end of the Ice Age. Therefore, at the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015, it was decided that the average temperature rise of the earth must be kept below 2° C (or 3.6° F). Cruise ships are reputed to cause high CO2 emissions. They are the core business of charter broker OceanEvent. That’s why the company decided to assume responsibility for the impact of the worldwide private and corporate cruise events it is offering and organizing onboard cruise ship. Since 2018, as well as for the future, OceanEvent has been and will be offering climate-neutral cruise events and is certified as a climate-neutral company. That means, all trading activities and all charter cruises will be made climate neutral through the voluntary purchase of climate protection certificates.

For a long time, Christian Mühleck has been working on the environmental footprint of his company. “This must be done in times when climate change can no longer be negotiated away,” says the former yacht captain and founder of OceanEvent. We are known for chartering cruise ships on which we organize the private voyages of individuals such as weddings, anniversaries, or charity events. Large and medium-sized companies enlist our expertise when it comes to organizing conferences on board a cruise ship, or inviting employees and business partners to a cruise incentive. For every need, there is an appropriately sized ship. From very small, for 30–100 guests, to the big cruise giants with space for well over a thousand passengers. Christian Mühleck, with his team of sailors and event planners, knows and arranges the right ships for each unique charter. And he’s been doing this for over 17 years.

The Cruise Market Discovers Environmental Protection

“Over this time, I have pursued the efforts of shipping companies to build more environmentally friendly ships.” Little has happened in the past few years. But now the cruise market is at last picking up steam. “AIDA and MSC are good examples,” says Mühleck. There, the newest vessels are no longer using heavy fuel oil—the worst of all fossil fuels, and largest CO2 emitters—but instead use the more environmentally conscious LNG (liquified natural gas).

Many cruise ships today are “no plastic”. Waste prevention, heat recovery, biological sewage treatment plants, and on-board water production have become the standard. There are also programs for LED lighting, solar technology, self-optimizing air conditioning, and the prevention of food waste.

Among the smaller cruise ships, Discovery Yachts in particular have made a name for themselves. Designed for remote regions such as the Arctic and the Amazon, they use low-emission drive systems. Dynamic positioning systems also prevent ships from anchoring in sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs.

All in all, shipping companies are prepared to contribute to efficient energy management and the protection of the environment and local resources.

Climate-neutral cruise events — OceanEvent takes the lead

But even with all the technical progress, cruise ship emissions remain a burden on the environment. For OceanEvent CEO Christian Mühleck, this is a good reason to look at climate-neutral compensation.

He found answers in the Clean Development Mechanism initiative of the United Nations. It offers companies the opportunity to voluntarily offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits.
Fokus Zukunft (Focus Future) is the partner chosen by OceanEvent to determine the carbon footprint of the entire company, as well as each future charter. According to the consultants, 58 tons of CO2 per year are created by the ongoing operating activities of the charter broker, including business trips. These will now be made climate-neutral, retroactively for 2018 and anticipatory for 2020/21, through climate protection certificates. As a climate-neutral company – a certificate we now proudly hold – OceanEvent is supporting a wind farm in India that saves 52,898 tons of CO2eq (CO2 equivalent) emissions per year, as well as the “Guanare Forest Plantation” project in Uruguay. Here, the afforestation of eucalyptus trees saves 127,416 tons of CO2eq per year, preventing deforestation and promoting ecotourism.

“But we are taking another important step forward,” says Christian Mühleck. “All of our cruise charters will automatically be carbon neutralized in the future.” To ensure this, the individual parameters of each cruise are passed on to Fokus Zukunft. Their experts determine nitrogen and carbon dioxide emissions and advise OceanEvent on climate protection certificates that offset these emissions. In addition to the environmental aspect, the projects selected by Fokus Zukunft all have the goal of benefiting the local population in terms of hunger, thirst, poverty, education, and health.

“This will make it possible for companies to take responsibility and initiate positive economic, social, and ecological progress in developing countries,” summarizes Christian Mühleck.

Information about OceanEvents’ climate-neutral cruise events, the purchase of climate protection certificates, or which projects OceanEvent currently promotes can be found HERE