A luxurious ship no one wants: the controversy surrounding the Seven Seas Voyager

The “Stop cruises BZH” collective and the environmentalists of Extinction Rébellion prevented tourists from disembarking from a cruise ship in the port of Concarneau, to shine a light on the pollution caused by tourist ships

A true luxury vessel, complete with gourmet restaurants and sports facilities, is set to sail from Portugal to Belgium over ten days, making several stops in Portugal and France. These stops are expected to bring hordes of tourists into cities, causing significant pollution at the hosting ports.

The ship in question is the Seven Seas Voyager, a 676-foot behemoth that carries 700 passengers and about 440 crew members.

Protests and resistance

Recently, no one seemed to want this ship. Around fifteen activists from Extinction Rebellion and the Stop Cruises BZH collective used small kayaks to unfurl a banner in the middle of the port of Concarneau, blocking the cruise ship from docking.

As the giant ship anchored about 0.6 miles from the port, tourists were supposed to disembark via a shuttle. However, the activists’ blockade prevented this. After a standoff lasting at least two hours, the ship’s crew decided to give up and headed towards the port of Brest instead.

Environmental and economic concerns

Cruise ships are a significant environmental issue. They can severely impact air quality, with levels of “black carbon” and nitrogen dioxide far exceeding the World Health Organization’s air quality safety limits. Additionally, they epitomize the kind of rapid, transient tourism that often harms local economies rather than helping them.