Cruise: The ‘message’ cruise ship passengers need to be aware of before they travel

“Because for a lot of people, the marine environment and shipping is not known to them.

“They’re there to enjoy their cruise and not really think that far ahead in terms of what might happen to the vessel.

“The owners of the vessels have got to have a genuine desire to conform with these rules and regulations.

“And when the vessel comes to the end of its life, they have got to do the decent thing which is not always easy.”

But, he explained, it’s not as easy as that.

“Some vessels are sold on for reuse,” he said.

“And if they’re sold on for reuse to an organisation that is not highly regulated, there’s nothing to stopping them, in years to come when the vessel needs to be scrapped, sending it to one of these unregulated facilities.”

A spokesperson from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) told Express.co.uk: “Recycling ships in a manner that is both safe and environmentally sound is of tremendous importance to the cruise industry, which is at the forefront in the development of responsible environmental practices and technologies that lead the way in sustainable tourism.