Charter for responsible and sustainable tourism

At Hebrides Cruises we are committed to providing a quality experience for our guests whilst minimising the environmental impact of our activities.  As a guest you can help us too.  We invite you to consider these points to protect our local area and the places we visit, for future generations to come. 

Public Transport – When planning your journey to and from Oban, please consider using public transport.  There is excellent train and bus linking Oban to the major cities.  More information can be found on our travel page

Give the car a rest – If you do decide to bring your own car and are in the area a few days prior to boarding, consider parking it up, if only for a day.  Perhaps walk, cycle, or use public transport to explore the surrounding area.  We have a local Visit Scotland Tourist Information Centre in Oban that provides good information to assist you.  Also, there are more electric charging points popping up in and around Oban.  Plus, our car parking partner (MacQueens) is hopefully offering electric charging points from 2022. 

Shop Local – Explore the local products whilst in Oban and when visiting the islands on your cruise.  It will support local businesses and give you a flavour of the communities. 

Support Local Culture and Heritage – We encourage our guests to visit important heritage buildings; there are many to explore as well as enjoying the local events and festivals.  Having guests visiting and taking part helps to keep the culture and heritage of the islands alive. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – If visiting local shops and amenities, say no to the offer of a plastic carrier bag, perhaps put any items in your backpack.  Fill up your Hebrides Cruises water bottle instead of buying a plastic throwaway bottle. While onboard please only request a clean laundered towel if needed and be mindful to place any recyclable waste in the designated recyclable bins provided ashore or when aboard. 

Be Water Wise – Please try to reduce the amount of water used whilst showering and brushing your teeth.  Our showers have been tested and flow at a maximum of 6lpm, we also have lowered our freshwater pumps to save water and heating.   When ashore try to look out for any water-saving initiatives communities may have in place.

Conserve Energy – As a company, we are always looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint.  Our Skippers are instructed to run our engines at 65% of their maximum power capacity.  We also keep a fuel log aboard each vessel to monitor our fuel use, our aim is for a fuel consumption of 150 litres per person per cruise. 

Recently, we have installed new ultra-efficient generators and have completed extensive rewiring on both boats.  This will mean less use of the generators (approx. 25% less), therefore allowing more use of battery power which equates to fewer emissions.  We do not run generators at night. 

We lift our tenders out of the water, when not in use, to minimise the impact on fuel and wildlife. 

Respect Nature – A very important aspect of our cruises is to preserve the landscape and wildlife.  We have a no-littering policy ashore (monitored by our Wildlife Guide) and always encourage guests to use footpaths if walking solo to avoid disrupting ecosystems.  Also, our modern plotter and GPS system enable us to anchor at the same anchoring points on our cruises.  This significantly reduces any impact on the seabed environment.   

Green Tourism Support – It is important to encourage our guests to view the list of local businesses committed to reducing their environmental impact.  We also suggest guests look for the Green Tourism badge when booking local attractions and accommodation.  Please see this link which details Green Tourism members in the area - Green Tourism Directory