The Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority (DHNA) intend to moor huge, 250m long (up to 40,000 tonne) cruise ships, inside the entrance to the River Dart (on the town side of Warfleet Creek and only 125 metres from residential homes), at least weekly throughout the summer and more in the shoulder seasons.

Residents of Dartmouth and Kingswear seem to be late in hearing about DHNA proposals to regularly bring mega cruise ships to Dartmouth and moor them on a new mooring, very close to residential housing, off Warfleet Creek. Consequently, there is great concern at the lack of public information and consultation on such an important issue.

Most residents enjoy the visits of small expedition size cruise ships, even if the streets become overcrowded at times in the summer. However, there is increasing alarm at the impact of many hundreds of passengers being disgorged into the town and (as importantly) the environment impact of these highly controversial, mega polluting vessels.

Are Dartmouth residents being sold down the river?

What really alarms many residents is that they know nothing about the proposals.  To find any information, it is necessary to look deep into the DHNA website (down three menu layers), to discover a document deceivingly marked “Conversation”. Once you have dug deep enough to find this topic, you can also see a link to a Survey Monkey questionnaire. This however, is so biased in how its questions are framed, as to be no more than a rubber stamping exercise. Nowhere is it possible to find an objective assessment of the advantages or disadvantages of the proposals, nor an opportunity for a public meeting where differing views can be aired.

DHNA is a public body (a Port Trust by legal definition), whose remit covers all stakeholders. Residents are entitled to be heard and given the opportunity to influence any DHNA decisions. Additionally, an accurate evaluation of public response should be recorded.

This website intends to redress the imbalance and bring scientific research and wider respected journalist’s opinion to the debate, as well as an opportunity to vote to oppose the plans.

These cruise ships are BIG polluters and their encouragement by the DHNA in the 'South Devon National Lanscape' is perverse for three reasons:-

1. Environment – large cruise ships are widely recognised as big polluters of the environment, above and below the water. They contribute to global warming and acid rain

2. Health – cruise ships emit air pollutants and particulate matter with significant risks to the local population, especially for those with asthma, other respiratory diseases. They are associated with several types of cancer.

3. Conservation – Dartmouth and the River Dart was designated part of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1960 (now renamed South Devon National Landscape). It remains one of the key attractions for both residents and visitors, but whilst the Harbour Authority strategy aims “To conserve and enhance Dart Harbour as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”, inviting larger cruise ships flies in the face of these laudable aims.

These concerns are confirmed by much respected independent professional research (see references below).

The Environment

• The UK chaired COP 26 [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)]. Of the many goals, one was “reducing emissions and keeping 1.5C alive” and “the importance of the Global Methane Pledge”. ¹
• Carbon - Cruise ships are highly carbon intensive and have been judged to be a more carbon intensive mode of international transport than aviation². A cruise ship this size emits 8 times the amount CO₂ per passenger than a land based holiday maker. ³
• Gases - These ships emit large amounts of Sulphur (SOX) and Nitrogen (NOX) gases which contribute to acidification of rains, adversely affecting plant and animal ecosystems. They discharge about 10 gigatonnes of highly acidic water from their exhausts with severe toxic effects on zooplankton (the tiny crustaceans that are food for cod, herring and many other fish species). ^2,4,5,6
• Methane - One cruise ship generates the same amount of methane as 10,500 cows. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas 80 times more warming than CO₂ ⁴

DHNA states that ‘CO₂ is a global, rather than a local pollutant.’ To promote and encourage these large cruise ships ignores the role we all have to play as individuals and organisations, in making every effort to reduce greenhouse gases.

Conservation

DHNA has articulated a number of laudable goals in their strategy ⁸:

• "Conserve and enhance Dart Harbour as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that benefits the local community"
• "Maintain the essential character of the Dart in line with its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – both the tranquil unspoiled nature of the estuary, and the bustling ports of Dartmouth and Totnes"
• "Help and encourage our customers to reduce their environmental footprint"
• "Work towards Net Zero for our own operations"

DHNA have ambitious goals to improve the swimming quality of the river, enhance the salt marches and they have already converted one water taxi to electrical power.

Encouraging globally polluting cruise ships runs completely counter to these goals.

They would:

• Harm the global and local environments, contravening COP and Net Zero Goals
• Put at risk the health of the local population and visitors
• Trample on the essential character of our port in an AONB

Health

• Health-cruise ships emit air pollutants and particulate matter with significant risks to human health especially for those with asthma and other respiratory diseases. Some of the toxic emissions may increase the risk of cancer.

DHNA have yet to complete an in-depth report on the negative health impact on our local population. They have stated that "no more emissions would be generated than one thousand passengers travelling to Dartmouth by car." However, the Marseille report⁷ states that a ship in harbour, with main engines stut down and only generators running to provide power on board, emits the equivalent of 30,000 cars traveling at 30 km/h continuously during the 8 to 10 hours it is in harbour! If staying overnight this pollution is nearly trebled ... just 125 metres away from riverside residential houses!

Benefits to the local economy

• The financial benefits of mega cruise ships visiting Dartmouth described in their document 'Expanding our Cruise Business' are fanciful at best and disingenuous at worst. The increased income benefits for DHNA are clear and easy to predict. They are the main beneficiary. However, the large graphic displays and narrative covering financial benefits to the local economy are based solely on guesstimates, multiplied by the number of visiting cruise ships, then divided up by further assumptions without any creditable research having been caried out.
• A study looking at the popular Norwegen cruise destination of Bergen, found that up to 40% of passengers never left the ship and of those who did disembark, spent less than $25.

DHNA's claimed financial benefits to various local business sectors are unverified and merely biased speculation.

Conflicting policies

• The expansion of cruise ship business to encourage mega polluting cruise ships into the River Dart, in close proximity to residential housing and in an AONB, flies in the face of all the other laudable conservation and environment initiatives performed by DHNA. Their remit in simple terms, is to operate and manage the River Dart for the beneficial owners, the Duchy of Cornwall.

These proposals run counter to the beliefs and life’s work of King Charles and the Prince of Wales (Prince William).

Seven European cities have already banned cruise ships (or very nearly banned them):-

• Venice • Bruges • Norwegian Fjords • Amsterdam • Palma • Santorini • Dubrovnik •

We believe DHNA should also ban large cruise ships in the River Dart and ask you to actively oppose this proposal, before it is too late!

References

1. COP https://www.gov.uk/government/news/may-ministerial-meeting-on-implementation-co-chairs-summary
2. International Council on Clean Transportation. What if I told you cruising is worse for the climate than flying. (2022) https://theicct.org
3. Environmental and human impacts of cruise tourism: A Review. Marine Pollution Bulletin 173 (2021) 1129979 Lloret j.L;Carreno A; Caric H; San J; Fleming L.
4. Friends of the Earth https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Comparison_of_CO2_Emissions_v2.pdf
5. Transport Environment https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-return-of-the-cruise-June-2023.pdf
6. Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy. Recommendations for the cruise sector. Caric, H., Jakl, Z., Laurent, C., Mackelworth, P., Noon, V., Petit, S., Piante, C., Randone, M. (2019).
7. Stop Croisiers (click translate to English) https://stop-croisieres.org/en/argument/

DHNA Strategy https://www.dartharbour.org/about-dart-harbour

View further REASEARCH & REFERENCES