Port of Vancouver Awards Disney Cruise Line the Blue Circle Award for Environmental Stewardship

Recently, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority awarded Disney Cruise Line the Blue Circle Award. This marks the 10th consecutive year, recognizing the Disney Cruise Line’s participation last year in the port’s voluntary EcoAction Program and Energy Action Initiative. For those counting, Disney Cruise Line has been awarded a Blue Circle Award every year the Disney Wonder has homeported in Vancouver.

“This award demonstrates our long-standing commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably, especially while sailing in the Pacific Northwest,” said Barry Compagnoni, Disney Cruise Line’s Vice President for Safety, Security and Environmental Policy and Compliance. “By doing our part to reduce emissions, conserve energy and protect the rich biodiversity of the region, we are proud to continue our legacy of taking actions that support a healthier environment.”

One of the primary ways Disney Cruise Line reduces its impact on the environment while sailing in Alaska and Canada is to turn off the ship’s engines and rely on the port’s shoreside electricity grid when available. While ‘plugged in’ to shore power, the ship’s onboard lighting, air conditioning and other guest- and crew-facing systems were able to run nearly emission-free. Specific to Vancouver, where the port’s electric grid is supplied by hydro- and wind power, the Disney Wonder eliminated 99 percent of emissions by using shore power every time it called on Vancouver last year.

According to the Frasier Vancouver Port Authority the EcoAction Program started in 2007 and supports the port authority’s mandate to enable Canada’s trade while protecting the environment and considering local communities by rewarding shipping lines for taking measures to reduce their environmental footprint. Almost one-third of eligible calls to the Port of Vancouver qualify for EcoAction incentives each year, receiving discounts off harbour dues for measures that reduce greenhouse gas and air contaminant emissions, as well as underwater noise. The port authority expanded the program in 2023 to include a new platinum level discount of up to 75%.

Through the Energy Action Initiative, launched in 2013 in partnership with BC Hydro, the port authority supports terminal operators and port tenants to learn effective ways to conserve energy. The initiative has helped implement more than 40 energy conservation projects across port lands to date—helping save more than 11,500 megawatt hours of energy (enough to annually power 1,200 houses).

Using shore power is just one of many ways that Disney Cruise Line strives to minimize its impact on the environment, in support of The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.

Among other initiatives, the cruise line continues to invest in low-emission fuels including using ultra-low sulfur fuel on the Magic and Dream classes of ships and liquefied natural gas (LNG) on its newest class of vessels, along with plans to use green methanol on a newly acquired ship that will homeport in Singapore in 2025. In addition, Disney Cruise Line has nearly eliminated all single-use plastics across its fleet by no longer using plastic straws, switching to refillable bath product dispensers in guest staterooms, removing plastic bags from onboard merchandise locations, and replacing plastic water bottles with recyclable aluminum ones.

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