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Marella Cruises’ sustainability efforts explained

Marella Cruises is making changes across its fleet.
Tech upgrades. Single-use plastic swaps. Water-refilling stations. These are just a few of the ways Marella Cruises is working to reduce its environmental footprint, as part of its commitment to the TUI Sustainability Agenda.

On top of that, Marella Cruises is also introducing renewable biofuel blends into the fuel mix, as well as using microfibre plastic filtration systems and water-saving features on board its ships.

Let’s dive deeper into these efforts, so you know what’s being done to support sustainability next time you set sail…

Want to learn more? Tune in to “We’re on it, right?”, a TUI podcast on sustainability.

Upgrading to more efficient appliances

It’s ‘out with the old, in with the new’ for a lot of the appliances onboard Marella Cruises ships, which are being swapped for more energy efficient alternatives. It’s one of the steps we’re taking to help achieve our 2030 emission reduction targets, which have been validated by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative – a collaboration between organisations like the UN Global Compact and the WWF. Some of the things being upgraded right now include halogen bulbs, which are being replaced with LEDs, washing machines, and various kitchen equipment.

Using tech to reduce fuel consumption

Another way Marella Cruises is improving its fuel efficiency is by using special caps fitted to the fleet’s propellers. They help improve how effectively engine power is converted to forward thrust by reducing drag and wasted rotational energy. In turn, this reduces the amount of fuel ships use per journey and plays a part in lowering their carbon emissions.

And there’s more on the horizon, with new technology installed on Marella Discovery 2. It’s been kitted out with an air lubrication system that creates a layer of tiny bubbles at the bottom of the ship, meaning it can glide through the water with less friction and, again, use less fuel. Fuel consumption is also factored into itinerary planning, with routes and sailing speeds optimised for efficiency.

Introducing lower carbon fuels

Marella Cruises isn’t just using less fuel. Where possible, Marella’s ships have started to use alternatives to conventional marine fuel. That's done by mixing traditional fuels with low-carbon options to help reduce overall emissions. In 2025, this meant 9% of total fuel consumption across the entire Marella fleet came from biofuel. Feasibility studies are also underway to help us retrofit ships with onshore power equipment where possible, so they can switch off their engines and connect to the local electricity grid when they’re docked. Marella Explorer 2 is already able to plug in to onshore power where available, and did so five times in Valetta, Malta in 2025.
A worker in a white hard hat and orange safety vest standing near a ship with large cables hanging from an opening.

Scrapping single-use plastics

It's been all hands-on deck to cut down on single-use plastics at Marella Cruises for a while now. Thanks to the phasing out of things like plastic straws and bin liners, Marella Cruises has avoided around 16 million pieces of single-use plastic items since 2019. And it’s not stopping there. Recent initiatives, like rolling out reusable laundry bags across the Marella Cruises fleet and using reusable coffee cups at The Coffee Port cafés, show how Marella Cruises is continuing to explore practical ways to reduce single-use plastics onboard.
A guest being handed a reusable coffee cup.

Ramping up recycling processes

Marella Cruises runs a tight ship when it comes to waste onboard. It’s separated into 20 – yes, 20 – different categories to maximise recycling opportunities once it’s handed over to the port-side facilities. They’ve even got specialist equipment, like can balers, glass-crushing machines and compactors, on each ship. These are used to compress and sort materials, so they take up less space onboard, and can be recycled more easily once they reach the port.

Working to reduce microplastic pollution

You might’ve seen microplastics mentioned on the news. These tiny plastic particles are less than 5 millimetres in size and are harmful to marine life and the environment in general, so Marella Cruises is doing its bit to tackle them. It’s teamed up with the Cleaner Seas Group to roll out laundry filtration systems that catch microfibre plastics before they can enter our oceans. The captured microfibres are then recycled, and the cartridges used to catch them are also reused. It’s the first time the technology’s been used across a cruise line’s entire laundry operations, and follows a successful six-month trial on Marella Explorer, which saw 99% of microfibres captured.
Inside of a laundry filtration system.

Providing water refill stations

Water stations are your first port of call when you’re thirsty on a Marella cruise – they’re in most stairwells on cabin decks, so you can fill up the jug provided for you or top up your own bottle. The water at these stations comes from filtered sea water, which is how around 60% of all the freshwater onboard Marella Cruises ships is made. The process is subject to strict controls and is regularly tested, so it’s perfectly safe for consumption, and it helps take the pressure of freshwater supplies from the ports visited on each cruise.
"Seas the day" water bottles.

Staying on top of maintenance

Marella Cruises reduced the total amount of freshwater consumption across the entire fleet by 9% between 2019 and 2024 by focusing on the little things, like promptly fixing drips and leaks to prevent unnecessary waste and improve efficiency. New shower heads are also being rolled out in all cabins, which reduce water pressure but increase how far out it flows. Thanks to this clever design, passengers can shower comfortably while using less of this valuable resource. The shower heads are adjustable, too, so you can still tweak the water flow to suit you. Talk about the best of both worlds…
Keen to keep learning about sustainability?

Listen to “We’re on it, right?”, a TUI podcast all about sustainability. Episode 1 is on single-use plastics, and features Marella Explorer.

Or, if you’d like to know more about Marella Cruises, check out our articles on the Marella Cruises fleet, sailing destinations and top Cruise & Stay packages.

Pssst. Head to the Discover homepage for our latest articles.

Author: Isobel Crow

Last updated: 09/04/2026

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