The Scottish Greens, which is coalition with the Scottish National Party, announced the move at their party conference in Dunfermline, seven miles from Rosyth port.
Lorna Slater, Scottish Greens co-leader, said: “We will work with our partners in local government to empower councils to charge visiting cruise ships a levy.
“It will mean communities hosting cruise ships get the investment they deserve, and our aim would also be to encourage greener ships. This is essential. Operators have been allowed to get away with polluting for too long.”
She added: “A cruise ship levy will empower councils to help tackle this global problem.”
The Scottish Greens hope the levy will encourage cruise lines to switch to zero-emission vessels.
One ship produces the same amount of carbon emissions as 12,000 cars, according to a recent study cited by the Scottish Greens. The party said the proposed levy was part of a global trend to cut emissions from the cruise sector.
Barcelona has closed its northern port terminal to cruise traffic after an agreement with local authorities to move ships further out of town, while Norway will ban all but zero-emission ships to sail its fjords in two years’ time.
More than 800,000 cruise passengers visited Scotland in 2019, according to VisitScotland, and industry group Cruise Scotland has predicted numbers will rise to one million passengers this year.
‘Accelerating change’
Scottish Greens transport and environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “From Ullapool to Greenock, Kirkwall to Edinburgh, Stornoway to Rosyth and many more besides, this will make a massive difference in supporting communities.
“For all the benefits tourism brings, pressure on infrastructure, services and how lives of locals in port areas are impacted need properly targeted support, and this helps.
“We also know that such action is steering the cruise industry towards investing in a greener and cleaner future. We want to support a responsible and sustainable activity, so it is right that we play a leading role in accelerating that change.”
