Holland America Line Case Study

Holland America Line (HAL) has grown into a sustainability leader in the global cruise line industry. HAL, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, was founded as a shipping and passenger line in 1871and in 1895 offered its first vacation cruises. Since the early stages HAL has always sought to become a leader in sustainability, in 1989 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation. This was a huge play for HAL because, Carnival Corporation was the largest company in the cruise line industry, dominating 52% of the market. Since joining Carnival, HAL has been one recognized as a leader in the cruise industry in its environmental sustainability. HAL has been a recipient of many prestigious awards for their efforts in sustainability.

They are a source of food, in the form of fish and shellfish, and are used for transportation and recreation, such as swimming, sailing, diving, and surfing. HAL and the cruise industry as a whole rely on the ocean as their most important resource, and keeping it clean is primary concern for the industry. The cruise line industry has made it their goal to try and create a sustainable industry. Many people have a hand in this involvement, first we are going to look at the cruise lines. HAL, as mentioned before, is one of the leaders in sustainability among the cruise lines. They created the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) department. SEMS was responsible for ensuring that all employees understood their roles and responsibilities. It also developed written environmental procedures, emergency preparedness plans, and performance targets and oversaw a rigorous environmental audit program. Onboard each ship, a safety, environmental and health (SHE) officer advised the captain’s staff on compliance policies, processes, and environmental standards. HAL was also instrumental in developing advanced wastewater purification systems (AWWPS) technology for use in cruise ships. These systems used a combination of screening, maceration, biodigestion, ultrafiltration, and ultraviolet light to clean wastewater to a much higher standard than conventional ways. HAL, as a whole

This is a major problem for the industry and the Holland American Line. The significant environmental issues HAL are currently facing are fuel consumption, overfishing, ocean warming, pollution, tourism, eutrophication, and ocean acidification. HAL’s first problem is fuel consumption, they have been aiming to reduce their fuel consumption. Their reducing of the fuel would not only make their journeys reduce the emissions but also make it fuel efficient and affordable. Overfishing is serious problem in the world today, more than half of the world’s population depends on the oceans for their primary source of food. Harmful fishing methods are unnecessarily killing turtles, dolphins, and destroying critical habitats. Global warming is increasing the temperature of the ocean water, reducing the generation of the base of the food web, plankton. The reducing of the plankton generation is causing major marine ecosystem change. Pollution is also a significant environmental issue HAL is facing. More oil reaches the ocean each year, a massive amount of oil has been accidently spilled from ships, which in turn is destroying animal and aquatic plant life. Tourism is also having a major impact on the environment. Waste and sewage from resorts, hotels, and restaurants, especially in heavily visited coastal areas, could find their