Pilot project for wastes recycling on board Costa Pacifica
The Costa Pacifica cruise ship called at Amsterdam for the first time on Friday, 6 September 2013. Port of Amsterdam CEO Dertje Meijer presented a port shield to the captain to celebrate this occasion, the Port of Amsterdam said in a press release.
The fact that the Costa Pacifica is the most sustainable cruise ship in the Costa fleet is another reason why this ship was given extra attention. A pilot project has been set up on board this ship that is designed to reduce and recycle waste flows. In order to be able to view this unique project close up, Costa organised a tour on board this special ship in association with Port of Amsterdam.
The Costa Pacifica has an average of 3,000 passengers and 1,000 personnel on board. This means large quantities of food are consumed aboard the vessel. For example, some 1,000 kilos of pasta, 2,500 kilos of meat and 6,000 litres of milk are consumed in a week. There is obviously some residual food waste. Residual food waste used to be thrown overboard. As of January 2013, this is no longer permitted in many seas, including the North Sea. Costa has consequently launched a pilot project to recycle residual food waste for a different use.
A space has been set up on the lowest deck of the Costa Pacifica where turbo dryers have been placed. Residual food waste is processed in these dryers and dried into raw material for animal feed. This raw material is then sold again in Italy. Port of Amsterdam was delighted to have the opportunity to see this project on board. It is completely in line with what we want to be as a port: the most sustainable port in Europe.