NEXT year the equivalent of nearly 300 small towns, each with its own shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes, will set sail from Southampton.

And they, like everyone else, will have concerns about the environment, waste management and the dangers of pollution.

The fleet of cruise ships based in the city may be symbols of luxurious living, but each can now only operate under strict environmental rules and regulations.

As ships become larger, so environmental demands on cruise lines have also grown and operators are incorporating the latest green technology into their vessels.

Next year Southampton will see about 280 cruise ship visits, including some of the biggest vessels in the world.

Cunard’s QM2 can accommodate up to 3,090 passengers, Independence of the Seas has berths for 4,375, while Ventura, which entered service earlier this year, can welcome up to 3,600 to her decks.

Bad name It is possible that all three of these ships could leave Southampton on the same day, taking more than 11,000 people, not including the many hundreds of crew.

In the past some ships gave the industry a bad name by dumping waste into the sea. Now shipping companies face huge fines for flouting the laws. Cruise operators are only too aware their business relies on safeguarding the oceans.

Azura, which will arrive in Southampton in spring 2010, will feature state-of-the-art equipment designed to ensure the bubbles in her wake will be the only footprint she leaves on the planet.

Like all of P&O Cruises’ ships, Azura will have a dedicated environmental officer who reports directly to the captain and oversees a staff of five waste disposal operators and a supervisor.

Azura will have six sewage treatment plants and waste water will be held in tanks to be discharged once the ship has passed the legal distance from shore.

Hazardous wastes will be segregated and then stored on board for disposal ashore, plastics will be recovered and shredded, and cooking oil converted into bio-diesel. Cans will be crushed and compacted for recycling while general waste is burnt in two incinerators.

Silver from photography processing will be recovered, contents of aerosols will be extracted and food waste burned.