Carnival Cruise Line Holds Global Coastal Cleanups for International Coastal Cleanup Day

To mark International Coastal Cleanup Day, observed on September 19, Carnival Cruise Line organized an initiative that brought together crew members, shoreside employees and community partners at ports and destinations around the world. During September, 377 crew members from 29 ships and 111 shoreside employees took part, joining local organizations to carry out 31 beach and waterway cleanups that collected roughly 175 bags and more than 5,000 pounds of trash and debris.

The cleanups took place at several of the line's main U.S. homeports, including Galveston, Texas, and Port Canaveral and Miami, Florida, as well as at destinations in Alaska, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico, Greece, France and Australia. The Carnival Glory was the last ship to join, with its cleanup scheduled for September 30, bringing participation to 100% of the line's fleet.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, noted that sailing the oceans and visiting coastal destinations comes with a responsibility to protect them, and highlighted that the joint effort of employees and partners shows what can be accomplished by working toward a common goal. September's initiative is part of the line's annual commitment, which in 2026 saw crew and shoreside staff collect more than 7,200 pounds of waste as part of the Our Sea Pledge sustainability program, focused on climate action, circular economy, sustainable tourism, biodiversity and community well-being.

The activity was also part of the global observance of the 41st annual International Coastal Cleanup Day, led by Ocean Conservancy, in which teams from across Carnival Corporation took part, including Holland America Line, Costa Cruises and the Center for Simulation and Maritime Training (CSMART). Cleanups were held at Oleta River State Park in Miami; at Myrtle Edwards Park along Puget Sound in Seattle; a Costa Cruises river cleanup conducted with the organizations Piantando and Blue-Life that intercepted nearly 400 pounds of waste before it reached the sea; and a beach cleanup organized by CSMART at Almeerderstrand, Netherlands.

Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer of Carnival Corporation, said that protecting the oceans, waterways and coastlines the company's ships sail through is a core responsibility of its operations. According to the company's 2025 Sustainability Report, its coastal and beach cleanup program included nearly 100 events that year across about two dozen locations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, removing more than 33,000 pounds of debris.