Cunard Crew’s Global Beach Clean-Ups Help Protect Oceans

In a bid to safeguard and preserve marine ecosystems, Cunard crew members, along with shoreside colleagues, took part in 14 beach clean-ups across seven countries in 2024. With the collective effort of over 100 shoreside staff and more than 160 crew members, these initiatives have successfully cleared 235,000 square meters of coastline, removing a total of 1.2 tonnes of waste.

The most recent clean-up effort was held on the Caribbean island of Dominica, where Queen Mary 2 crew members partnered with local volunteers to restore Salisbury Beach. A 24-person team, including volunteers from the Dominica Solid Waste Management team and students from Dominica State College, gathered 25kg of debris, consisting of glass, plastic, fishing nets, and ropes.

Robert Price, Environmental Compliance Officer on Queen Mary 2, expressed his enthusiasm for the crew’s involvement in this initiative.

“Our team of volunteers are proud to have participated in Queen Mary 2’s first beach clean-up in Dominica. Through our passion for sustainability and environmental protection, in our small part, we felt we helped make a difference. By working together with members of the local community, we are happy that we’ve helped to make a positive impact on the local community and environment.”

Captain Aseem Hashmi of Queen Mary 2 underscored the importance of sustainability in the locations the ship visits globally.

“As part of our sustainability focus on the places we visit all over the world, it’s imperative whilst trying to limit our impact in some ways, we must endeavour to leave a positive legacy in any small way we can in the communities we visit. In addition to our ship’s company beach clean activity, we also visited a local children’s orphanage and shelter where some books and toys were donated.”

This initiative was made possible with the support of the Discover Dominica Authority, whose collaboration played a key role in facilitating the clean-up efforts. Their involvement helped ensure the success of this environmentally focused project, further strengthening the impact of sustainability efforts in the region.