Cruise ships generate tremendous amounts of pollution and waste that can harm public health, our oceans, and atmosphere.
Channelkeeper is working to highlight the environmental impacts of the cruise ship industry and reduce the environmental risks of cruise ships to our local environment. We called upon the City of Santa Barbara to reassess the cruise ship program and make changes to meet the community’s environmental priorities.
We are pleased to share that the Santa Barbara City Council voted on April 9th to improve the City’s Cruise Ship Program, representing a positive step forward for the environment and our community.
The City Council took action to limit the number of ships visiting Santa Barbara to no more than twenty annually, require ships to have advanced wastewater treatment systems, and reduce speeds to protect whales. It also approved several other measures, including prioritizing those ships with advanced pollution prevention technology and solid environmental compliance records. This vote directly reflects and builds upon the recommendations that Channelkeeper presented to the Harbor Commission in February.
Listen to this KCSB Radio Interview featuring Executive Director Ted Morton about the Santa Barbara City Council’s April 9th decision to improve the cruise ship program.
Dive into…
Channelkeeper’s Letter of Recommendations to the Harbor Commission.
Cruise Ship Sign-on Letter supported by ten community partners.
“Shaping the Future of Santa Barbara’s Cruise Ship Program,” Santa Barbara Independent, January 31, 2024.
Channelkeeper greets ships as they arrive in the Santa Barbara Harbor as often as we can as part of our cruise ship monitoring program. Our team is on the water aboard our 31-foot vessel to hail visiting ships to confirm their compliance with the City’s voluntary no-discharge agreement.
Get Involved!
Public input is crucial to shape the cruise ship program’s future. Your voice is needed to help create meaningful change. If you would like to become an advocate and get involved in improving Santa Barbara’s Cruise Ship Program, click here to join our fast-growing community of changemakers.
Channelkeeper’s recommendations to the City of Santa Barbara are to:
- Reduce and cap the number of visiting cruise ships to no more than 18 annually.
- Require cruise ships that visit Santa Barbara to have and use state-of-the-art technologies that protect the environment and public health and/or prioritize those that do.
- Prioritize cruise ships with solid environmental and public health compliance records.
- Encourage ships to slow down while transiting through the Santa Barbara Channel to avoid whale strikes.
- Maintain the Cruise Ship Subcommittee for ongoing community engagement.
Facts About Cruise Ships
- Cruise ships may legally dump partially treated sewage, greywater containing harmful chemicals, oily bilge water, food waste, incinerator ash, and biosolids 3 miles offshore including within the Santa Barbara Channel.
- The average 3,500-passenger cruise ship emits up to 80 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere just while sitting at anchor for 8 hours offshore of Santa Barbara Harbor. These greenhouse gas emissions make it harder for Santa Barbara to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.
- Nutrients from discharged treated sewage, greywater, food waste, and biosolids can contribute to Harmful Algal Blooms, like the ones regularly occurring in the Santa Barbara Channel.