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Carnival's design combines two established technologies, which have been successfully used in power plants, factories and vehicles to clean – or scrub – the exhaust from high-sulfur fuel. For the first time this combination is being developed to accommodate restricted spaces on existing ships. In addition to exceeding stricter air emission standards – a significant public health advancement – Carnival's technology will help the company mitigate escalating fuel costs. The agreement in principle from the EPA and Coast Guard would enable an exemption for Carnival to use the fuel source that makes the most sense from an environmental and economic perspective. The agreement in principle is a requirement for the flag states of each Carnival subsidiary to grant permission for implementation. The implementation also produces an immediate significant public health benefit, as all of the ships that will have the scrubber technology installed will use either low-sulfur marine gas oil or shore power when in ports in the United States and Canada. Ships that use shore power turn off diesel engines and connect to local electric utility power. As a next step, Carnival will be requesting permits from flag states to allow for the trial of the exhaust gas cleaning technology to proceed. Looking ahead, Carnival plans to explore the possibility of expanding the installation of its scrubber technology beyond the initial 32 ships. Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK). Together, these brands operate 102 ships totaling 209,000 lower berths with seven new ships scheduled to be delivered between May 2014 and April 2016. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. Source: Carnival Corporation & plc
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