June Tong

Global temperatures are rising; arctic ice is melting.

It is projected that, by 2050, average temperatures will have risen to such an extent that the Arctic Sea will be consistently ice free during the summer months. Luxury cruise ships are anticipated to capitalise on the increasing navigability and unexplored potential of the Arctic – all whilst hastening its imminent extinction.

With each cruise ship, comes waste. Every day, an average-sized cruise ship of 3000 guests is predicted to release 25,000 gallons of sewage, 143,000 gallons of greywater, 7 tonnes of garbage and solid waste, 15 gallons of toxic chemicals and 7000 gallons of oily bilge water. Waste is concealed away from guests, conveyed to the depths of the ship and disgorged at port.

The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is critically located as the last land mass in the projected trajectory of the trans-polar route. It is foreseen to become a key port as the Arctic Ocean opens, becoming the final port-of-call for waste removal on cruise ships before they embark further into protected arctic waters. The last decade has already seen a 400% increase in the number of cruise ships visiting its largest settlement: the former mining community of Longyearbyen.

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Using Longyearbyen as a focus, this thesis explores how design can expose the cruise guest to the self-perpetuating problem of Arctic cruise tourism and the sheer wastefulness of the cruise industry. How can waste be reconsidered as an integral part of the arctic cruise experience?