Greece Looks to Expand Cruise Tourism as Ships Go Green

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Greece faces a dual challenge as the global cruise industry expands: maintaining its strong position in the European market while creating a stable and predictable environment that encourages cruise companies to invest and plan their long-term presence in the country.

The challenge now extends beyond the number of cruise ship arrivals and passengers. It includes operating costs, port fees, shore power infrastructure, the energy transition, water and waste management, and Greece’s ability to develop an overall strategy that spreads cruise tourism across more destinations.

Industry executives highlighted these issues at the International Conference on Maritime Transport, organised in Thessaloniki by the International Hellenic University in cooperation with the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME).

Maria Deligianni, Eastern Mediterranean Director of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), stressed the need for stable rules and sufficient time for companies to adjust to new charges. Kyriakos Anastasiadis, MSC Cruises’ representative in Greece, meanwhile, raised the absence of a comprehensive national cruise strategy.

At the same time, CLIA’s latest annual Environmental Technologies and Practices Report shows that cruise ships are rapidly adopting new environmental technologies, while shore-based infrastructure is not developing at the same pace.

Cruise lines seek predictable rules

Predictability has become a major priority for cruise companies.

In a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA), Deligianni said CLIA had stressed to the Greek government the need for a clear, stable and predictable operating environment for companies running ships in Greece.

Cruise companies plan their itineraries years in advance, while their overall strategic planning can extend to five years.

For this reason, CLIA argues that changes to port fees and other financial charges should enter consultation 18 to 24 months before implementation, with new charges finalised at least 12 months in advance.

The issue, Deligianni explained, does not concern simply the size of a new charge. It also concerns the time companies have to incorporate it into their budgets and commercial policies.

When authorities introduce a new charge at short notice, cruise packages may have already been priced and sold. Companies therefore cannot pass the additional cost on to passengers in time, leaving them to absorb the expense.

Deligianni linked expectations of lower activity in Greece this year not only to geopolitical instability in the wider region, but also to higher operating costs and reduced predictability.

She also highlighted the cruise tax, noting that in some cases it can add up to €200 to the overall cost for a family of four.

Greece remains a major European cruise destination

Despite these pressures, Greece retains a strong position in the European cruise market.

According to CLIA figures, Greece ranks third among European destinations, behind Italy and Spain, with around 6,000 cruise ship calls and more than 8 million passenger visits each year.

The global market has also continued to expand. Worldwide cruise passenger traffic now stands around 25% above 2019 levels, while passenger numbers are expected to increase by about 4% this year to 38.3 million.

Around 60 new cruise ships are also scheduled to enter the global fleet over the next decade, representing investment of approximately $71 billion.

From three ports to eight

Anastasiadis argued that Greece needs to move beyond managing existing cruise traffic and develop a comprehensive growth strategy.

The MSC Cruises representative said authorities should not examine the cruise tax separately from how they use the revenue it generates.

The key question, he said, is whether some of the money collected from cruise tourism can return to the sector and destinations through investment, promotion, port infrastructure upgrades and incentives for new cruise calls.

The issue has become particularly important because cruise traffic remains concentrated in a limited number of Greek ports.

“The question is how the three ports will become eight,” Anastasiadis said, highlighting the need to select and develop new destinations.

Thessaloniki and Kavala provide two examples of ports that could attract a greater share of cruise traffic if Greece develops a targeted policy to attract cruise companies.

For Thessaloniki in particular, the challenge involves more than the quality of the destination or its infrastructure. Its geographical position means additional distance, sailing time and fuel consumption for a cruise ship operating a seven-day itinerary from Italian ports.

Anastasiadis therefore raised the possibility of using part of the cruise tax revenue to provide temporary incentives for new destinations until they develop sufficient demand to become permanent parts of cruise itineraries.

Such an approach would shift the focus of cruise policy from collecting fees at established destinations towards using those revenues to expand cruise activity geographically.

Cruise lines invest in greener ships

Coordination between cruise companies, ports, governments and energy providers has also become increasingly important as the global cruise fleet enters a new phase of technological and energy investment.

CLIA Executive Chairman and CEO Bud Darr said cruise companies continue to invest in more efficient ships, multi-fuel engines, shore power and advanced environmental systems.

He said the industry continues to invest in technologies, fuels and operational capabilities designed to improve fleet efficiency and prepare ships for the future.

Darr also said cruise companies are pursuing ambitious decarbonisation goals by building ships capable of using lower-emission energy sources alongside other environmental technologies and practices.

However, he stressed that fuel producers, governments, ports, energy providers and other stakeholders must help create the conditions needed to make these technologies and fuels widely available.

Ships are moving faster than ports

The energy transition represents another major challenge.

CLIA’s latest annual report shows rapid technological change across the cruise fleet, while highlighting the continuing shortage of compatible port infrastructure.

Shore power provides one of the clearest examples. The technology allows cruise ships to connect to the electricity grid while docked and reduce their reliance on onboard engines.

In 2018, only 55 ships operated by CLIA member companies had shore power capability. That figure has now reached 193, representing around 65% of the fleet and 72.5% of declared capacity.

CLIA expects the number to reach 279 ships by 2039.

Port infrastructure, however, tells a very different story. Only 40 cruise ports worldwide currently offer at least one berth with shore power capability, representing less than 3% of ports visited by cruise ships.

This gap matters because investment onboard ships cannot deliver its full benefit if ports lack compatible infrastructure or electricity costs make shore power economically unattractive.

Anastasiadis also highlighted this issue, saying effective shore power requires cooperation between cruise companies, ports, energy providers and the state.

Greece faces a clear deadline, as the European Union’s Fit for 55 framework calls for relevant infrastructure at major European ports by 2030.

Cruise ships reduce their reliance on heavy fuel oil

The cruise industry is also gradually reducing its reliance on heavy fuel oil (HFO).

Data submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that HFO accounted for 74.2% of reported cruise fuel use in 2019. By 2024, that share had fallen to 60.6%.

At the same time, the use of fuels other than HFO increased from 25.8% to 39.4%, while CLIA data for 2025 put the figure at 40.3%.

Multi-fuel engines are also becoming more common. The number of cruise ships with such engines has risen from just one in 2018 to 30 today, with CLIA projecting 56 by 2030 and 69 by 2039.

According to data from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), average fuel consumption per cruise ship reporting to the European MRV system fell by approximately 18.5% between 2018 and 2025. Average CO₂ emissions per ship also declined by about 19.4%.

Water and waste add to the environmental challenge

The environmental transition extends beyond carbon emissions.

In countries such as Greece, where several islands face increasing pressure on their water resources, ships’ ability to produce their own water has become particularly important.

According to CLIA, 293 cruise ships can currently produce potable water onboard, while 218 can theoretically meet all their water requirements without replenishing supplies at their destinations.

Wastewater treatment has also advanced. A total of 249 ships now have advanced wastewater treatment systems, compared with 136 in 2018. Of these, 124 can meet the stricter standards that apply in the Baltic Sea Special Area.

Anastasiadis emphasised this aspect, arguing that the cruise industry’s environmental responsibility involves not only its carbon footprint but also the pressure it places on destinations through water consumption and waste.

Here too, onboard technology represents only one side of the equation. The other lies onshore, in reception facilities, recycling systems, energy infrastructure and the overall planning of ports.

Greece faces a broader cruise strategy challenge

For Greece, the challenge therefore extends beyond setting another record for cruise arrivals.

The country needs to turn its existing market position into a sustainable growth model that includes more destinations, predictable rules, modern port infrastructure and effective reinvestment of the revenue generated by the sector.

As the global cruise market expands and its fleet undergoes rapid technological change, the question is no longer simply how many cruise ships will visit Greece.

It is whether Greece can create the necessary conditions in time to remain competitive as the cruise industry enters its next phase.

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