Food waste is a significant problem on cruise ships, with thousands of passengers generating enormous amounts of leftovers daily. Historically, cruise lines have discharged food waste into the ocean, causing serious environmental concerns.
Power Knot Ocean, a leading provider of onboard organic waste solutions for the industry, announced that it had received orders from Carnival Corp totaling more than half a million dollars. These orders include multiple food digester machines, spare parts, and services for the world’s largest cruise company, with a fleet of over 90 ships.
Carnival’s Environmental Compliance
In 2022, Carnival announced the completion of nearly 600 food waste biodigester installations across its fleet as part of its ongoing commitment to environmental compliance and food waste management.
The state-of-the-art biodigesters from Power Knot Ocean offer an environmentally friendly solution for food waste management, essential for the rapidly growing cruise industry.
Anticipating further expansion, Carnival has placed additional orders for Power Knot Ocean’s LFC biodigesters to outfit Carnival Jubilee under construction at the Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
“Additional orders for the LFC biodigester reaffirms Carnival Corporation’s trust in the LFC biodigester as best in class,” said Iain Milnes, President at Power Knot. “Throughout the pandemic and despite global supply chain shortages, Power Knot continues to deliver food waste biodigesters, service, and support to our customers without issue.”
Using biodigesters, Carnival Corporation can significantly reduce the volume of food waste discharged into the ocean, contributing to a cleaner and healthier marine environment.
Furthermore, the reduction in food waste being offloaded in ports decreases the burden on local waste management systems and helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste transportation and disposal. Power Knot has also been working with Carnival to replace defunct biodigester installations from previous years.
What is a Biodigester?
Bio-digesters are enclosed containers that convert food waste into liquid at an accelerated rate, breaking down 99% of the food put into them, leaving only a fine, silk-like material by utilizing beneficial microorganisms, oxygen, and warm water.
Available in several different sizes, the LFC biodigester can process anywhere from 10 kg (20 lb) per day to 3000 kg (6600 lb) per day of food waste.
With hundreds of installations worldwide, both on land and at sea, the LFC biodigester is a reliable, safe, and cost-effective way for a cruise line to significantly reduce the amount of food waste offloaded in port or even at sea and reduce the expense, inconvenience, mess, and carbon footprint.
In May 2022, Carnival announced it had completed the installation of nearly 600 food waste biodigesters across its fleet in support of ongoing food waste management and reduction efforts as part of its overall commitment to environmental compliance, ensuring that every ship sailing was fully equipped for the galley crew to use them.
On Mardi Gras alone, 14 biodigesters can process about 142,000 pounds of food waste per week. The successful implementation of biodigesters across Carnival’s fleet has the potential to encourage other cruise lines to follow and invest in sustainable waste management solutions. This will reduce the industry’s environmental impact without impacting guest operations.
