Carnival Corporation marked the 41st International Coastal Cleanup Day with volunteer activities across ports and destinations worldwide, bringing together shipboard and shoreside team members, local organizations and community volunteers to remove debris from coastlines and other public areas.
Participants represented Carnival Corporation’s cruise brands, exclusive destinations portfolio and Center for Simulation and Maritime Training (CSMART), as well as their families and friends. Cleanup activities took place in locations ranging from Seattle and Miami to Cozumel and the Netherlands, targeting waste such as plastic bags, aluminum and other single-use materials.
Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer of Carnival Corporation, stated that protecting the oceans, waterways and coastlines used by the company’s ships was a core responsibility. He noted that International Coastal Cleanup Day demonstrated the contribution of coordinated volunteer efforts and highlighted the importance of maintaining environmental stewardship throughout the company’s operations.
Led by Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup Day takes place on the third Saturday of September each year. The initiative is described as the world’s largest cleanup event focused on mobilizing action to protect the oceans. Over its 41-year history, it has involved 19+ million participants, who have collected a combined 400 million pounds of waste.
This year’s activities included a cleanup at Oleta River State Park in Miami, organized by CCL-Carnival Cruise Line shoreside employees. In Seattle, Holland America Line team members partnered with a local nonprofit to collect waste at Myrtle Edwards Park along Puget Sound.
Costa Cruises employees and their families worked with partner organizations Piantando and Blue-Life on a river cleanup aimed at intercepting nearly 400 pounds of plastic, aluminum and other debris before it could enter wider marine ecosystems. Meanwhile, crew members from Carnival Cruise Line ships organized shoreline cleanups across the Caribbean, Latin America, Alaska, Florida, Europe and Australia, working alongside local environmental organizations and port partners. CSMART employees also organized a beach cleanup at Almeerderstrand in the Netherlands, near the maritime training center.
The initiative forms part of Carnival Corporation’s wider programme of conservation-related volunteer activities. According to the company’s 2025 Sustainability Report, its Coastal and Beach Cleanups programme includes dozens of events annually across multiple continents, involving thousands of volunteers.
During 2025, Carnival Corporation team members carried out almost 100 cleanup events at approximately two dozen locations across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The activities resulted in the removal of 33,000+ pounds of debris.