# How is a cruise ship's CO2 per passenger night worked out?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/cruise-ship-co2-per-passenger-night

Total the fuel burned on the voyage, multiply heavy fuel oil by about 3.13 t CO2 per tonne and marine gas oil by about 3.19, then divide by passenger nights. Some operators allocate by cabin area instead; say which method you used.

## Inputs

- Fuel consumption by type from the engine log.
- Passengers and nights on board.
- Shore power used in port, as Scope 2 for the operator.

## Allocation

Crew and cargo are not passengers. If the ship carries cargo, split fuel by a stated rule before dividing.

## Worked example (illustrative figures)

- Marine gas oil: 30 tonnes a day × 3.19 = 95.7 t CO2.
- Passengers on board: 1,500.
- 95.7 ÷ 1,500 = about 63.8 kg CO2 per passenger night.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and diesel, LPG and gas invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a dated, fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record for each site. Intensity per unit uses the activity count you enter, and estimates are labelled as estimates.

- [Heavy fuel oil CO2 per tonne](https://senseible.earth/answers/ship-bunker-fuel-heavy-fuel-oil-co2-per-tonne)
- [Shore power at berth](https://senseible.earth/answers/shore-power-at-berth-scope-2-or-scope-3)

Sources: [IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 (Energy)](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [GLEC Framework (Smart Freight Centre)](https://www.smartfreightcentre.org/en/our-programs/emissions-accounting/global-logistics-emissions-council/)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.