The cruise liners have stated an intention to remove single use plastics from the hotel operation on their ships by the end of 2022 – something it says will form part of its overall environmental compliance plan.

Carnival UK presidents Josh Weinstein said: “While we have stringent regulations and procedures on board our ships for recycling, we need to go to the source of our supply chain to encourage changes to packaging and remove single use plastic products from our hotel operation.”

He added that the cruise lines were in discussions with their suppliers to influence the removal of single use plastic in their products such as straws, water bottles and food packaging wherever possible. He also said they would be reviewing their wider sourcing strategy of the most environmentally friendly products on board.

Weinstein said that programmes like the BBC’s Blue Planet went a long way to highlight the impact plastic can have on polluting the seas, and said it was their responsibility as an ocean-going cruise line to take action now.

“The ocean is a fundamental part of our business but more importantly its preservation is critical for our generation and future generations.”

An estimated 12m tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year with residues routinely found in fish, seabirds and marine mammals and even creatures living as far as seven miles beneath the sea.

In November last year, chancellor Philip Hammond announced that he planned to investigate a charge on single-use plastic items to reduce waste.