Sea Icon: Is the world’s largest cruise ship really environmentally friendly?

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The world’s largest cruise ship is about to depart on its maiden voyage. On January 27th, Icon of the Seas will depart on her first cruise.

The sea icon is longer than the Eiffel Tower and has 20 decks. There is a water park with seven pools and six waterslides, including the “largest pool at sea.” On board he has over 40 bars and restaurants spread across eight ‘districts’.

It is five times the size of the Titanic, with a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers and a crew of over 2,000.

The ship’s first sailing is already sold out, and the remaining sailings in 2024 are filling up quickly. This is one of 14 new cruise ships set to sail this year alone.

With features such as an engine powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), heat from the engine used to heat the water, and the ability to connect to electricity supply in port, Icon of the Seas is a Royal – Said to be Caribbean’s “most sustainable ship ever”. company.

Cruise ships continue to grow in size, with the average passenger ship increasing by 10,000 gross tons every 10 years. Some are concerned about the environmental impact of these larger vessels.

So, do larger cruise ships really have a greater impact on the climate?

What impact does a cruise have on the environment?

The launch of Icon of the Seas will take place in the same way as many in Europe. Countries crack down on cruise ships with new regulations It aims to target port pollution.

Strict new rules in Norway will only allow ships powered by alternative fuels to enter the country’s ports from 2026. The government is trying to reduce pollution of the scenic fjords from marine diesel, which is used by many cruise ships.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth-Eide told German broadcaster DW that cruise ships have the “highest emissions per passenger and kilometer sailed in the world.”

So how much carbon does the average cruise burn? The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that the most efficient cruise ships emit around 250g of CO2 per passenger kilometer.

Using the same method, the carbon footprint of a short-haul flight would be around 110g CO2 per passenger kilometer.

ICCT tallied the emissions of a five-night, 2,000-kilometer trip around the United States on the most efficient cruise ship and compared it to a round-trip flight and a hotel stay of the same duration.

People on cruises produce about twice as much total greenhouse gases as people on cruises. Flight, It has been discovered that many people do not take into account that they will take a flight to get to the departure port.

Could alternative fuels be the solution?

An increasing number of modern cruise ships are fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Burning LNG produces less nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, and particulate matter pollution than traditional fuels. Key concerns for ports around the world Where ships sit idling for hours on end. It also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 25%, making it a “climate-friendly” option, the cruise company says.

Icon of the Seas is just one of a number of new ships equipped with dual-fuel engines that can run on both marine diesel and LNG. This is operator Royal Caribbean’s first ship to be powered by this fuel.

However, there are concerns about the potential for methane to leak from the types of engines these cruise ships use. This extremely powerful greenhouse gas has more than 80 times the climate impact of her CO2 in 20 years.

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Ships burning LNG may emit less carbon dioxide than traditional marine fuels, but they are often unable to burn off all of this invisible gas. According to Transport & Environment, almost 80% of ships burning LNG use a type of engine that leaks 3.1% of the fuel into the atmosphere.

A study by a Brussels-based non-profit organization claims this could have a worse short-term impact on the climate than burning traditional fuels.

Royal Caribbean says LNG was the most viable alternative when Icon of the Seas was being designed a decade ago. Next year, they are preparing to debut the 3,248-passenger ship Celebrity Excel, which is equipped with a tri-fuel engine that can also run on methanol. And the company claims it has built Icon of the Seas to be adaptable to other fuel sources, such as methanol, in the future.

The maritime industry considers this one of the most promising projects. alternative fuel In the near future.

Although new ships are emerging with leak-free engines and advanced solutions, the average cruise ship currently sailing the world’s oceans is now over 22 years old.

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Environmental groups say many of the ships being built now are likely to still be in service by 2050, when the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reach net-zero targets.