Sat, January 27, 2024
By Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's largest cruise ship is set for its maiden voyage on Saturday, but environmental groups are concerned that the liquefied natural gas-powered vessel - and other giant cruise liners to follow - will leak harmful methane into the atmosphere.
Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas sets sail from Miami with capacity for 8,000 passengers across 20 decks, taking advantage of the surging popularity of cruises.
The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel but poses greater risks for methane emissions. Environmental groups say methane leakage from the ship's engines is an unacceptable risk to the climate because of its short-term harmful effects.
"It's a step in the wrong direction," said Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an environmental policy think tank.
"We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil," he said.
In terms of warming effects, methane is 80 times worse over 20 years than carbon dioxide, making cutting those emissions key to holding down global temperature warming.
Cruise ships like Icon of the Seas use low-pressure, dual-fuel engines that leak methane into the atmosphere during the combustion process, known as "methane slip," according to industry experts. There are two other engines used on bulk carriers or container ships that emit less methane but they are too tall to fit in a cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean says its new ship is 24% more efficient when it comes to carbon emissions than required by global shipping regulator the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
LNG emits fewer greenhouse gases than very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) that powers most of the global shipping fleet, said Steve Esau, chief operating officer of Sea-LNG, a industry advocacy organization.
Cruise engines convert natural gas into power in a cylinder, where it is "important to make sure that all the natural gas is converted to energy," said Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and Engineering at Wärtsilä, which developed the cruise ship's engines.
What is not converted can escape during the combustion process into the atmosphere, he said, adding that Wärtsilä's natural gas engine technology emits 90% less methane than it did 20 to 30 years ago.
Cruise ship engines have an estimated methane slip of 6.4% on average, according to 2024 research funded by the ICCT and other partners. The IMO assumes methane slip at 3.5%.
"Methane is coming under more scrutiny," said Anna Barford, Canada shipping campaigner at Stand Earth, a nonprofit organization, noting that the IMO last summer said its efforts to cut greenhouse gases includes addressing methane emissions.
Of the 54 ships on order from January 2024 to December 2028, 63% are expected to be powered by LNG, according to the Cruise Line International Association. Currently, about 6% of the 300 cruise ships sailing are fueled by LNG.
Newer cruise ships are being designed to run on traditional marine gas oil, LNG or alternatives like bio-LNG that only account for a fraction of U.S. fuel consumption.
Royal Caribbean will use different fuels as the market evolves, said Nick Rose, the company's vice president of environmental, social, and governance.
"LNG is one piece of our actual strategy," he said.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Mark Porter)
Icon of the Seas: World's largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami
BBC
Sun, January 28, 2024 at 7:51 AM MST·3 min read
22
The world's largest cruise ship has set sail from Miami, Florida, on its maiden voyage, but there are concerns about the vessel's methane emissions.
The 365m-long (1,197 ft) Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers. It is owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
The vessel is going on a seven-day island-hopping voyage in the Caribbean.
Environmentalists warn the liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship will leak harmful methane into the air.
Built at a shipyard in Turku, Finland, the Bahamas-registered ship has seven swimming pools and six water slides.
It cost $2bn (£1.6bn) to build and also has more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges.
The cruise ship boasts seven swimming pools, many bars and restaurants and a funfair on the top deck
Although LNG burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuels such as fuel oil, there is a risk that some gas escapes, causing methane to leak into the atmosphere.
Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
"It's a step in the wrong direction," Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Programme at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
"We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil," he said.
Earlier this week, the ICCT released a report arguing that methane emissions from LNG-fuelled ships were higher than current regulations assumed.
A sculpture of a swimmer hangs above an internal courtyard - known as "Central Park" on the ship
A powerful greenhouse gas, methane in the atmosphere traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Cutting these emissions is seen as crucial to slowing down global warming.
Royal Caribbean says the Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than required by the International Maritime Organization for modern ships. The company plans to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035.
The cruise industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism, with young people in particular interested in cruise holidays, according to the trade body Cruise Lines International Association.
It said that the cruise industry contributed $75bn (£59bn) to the global economy in 2021.
The onboard water park is dubbed "Thrill Island"
On Thursday, Argentina's World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, took part in the ship's naming ceremony.
He was seen placing a football on a specially built stand to trigger the traditional "good luck" breaking of a champagne bottle against the vessel's bow.
Quick facts about the Icon of the Seas
The Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world, weighing 250,800 tonnes with a length of nearly 365 meters (1,198 ft). That's about five times larger than the Titanic
The ship itself cost Royal Caribbean International a hefty price of €1.65bn ($1.79bn; £1.41bn) to build and acquire
Tickets range from $1,723 to $2,639 per person, according to Royal Caribbean's website. A high-season cruise around Christmas will set you back $5,124 per person
Its maiden voyage will stop in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Charlotte Amalie in the US Virgin Islands.
World's largest cruise ship ready to set sail from Miami in maiden passenger voyage
Mike Heuer
Sat, January 27, 2024
Cruise line Royal Caribbean's 1,198-foot Icon of the Seas is the world's largest cruise ship and was scheduled to set sail from Miami on its first passenger voyage on Saturday. File Photo provided by Royal Caribbean
Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Royal Caribbean's 1,198-foot-long Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship with a gross tonnage of 250,800, was ready to set sail on its maiden passenger voyage from Miami on Saturday.
It was scheduled to depart from Miami at 5 p.m. ET on a seven-day, round-trip voyage to the Eastern Caribbean.
Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi officially christened the ship on Tuesday. It features 20 decks and can hold about 10,000 passengers and crew, according to the cruise line.
The $2 billion Icon of the Seas was built in Turku, Finland, and earlier this month sailed to the Port of Miami to prepare for its first voyage with passengers.
The 20-deck ship has a curved parabolic bow that reduces waves and makes the vessel more stable and uses liquid natural gas to fuel its engines. More than 90% of its freshwater supply is produced using a reverse-osmosis system, and a microwave-assisted pyrolysis system converts waste into energy to help power the ship.
The vessel features several performance theaters, more than 40 bars, restaurants and lounges, and special cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks that were created for the Icon of the Seas, USA Today reported. It also has a water park and several designated "neighborhoods" for passengers of different age groups, including an adults-only area.
Some of the Icon of the Seas' superlatives include the world's largest water park at sea, the first cantilevered infinity pool at sea, the largest ice arena at sea and the largest swimming pool at sea.
The Icon of the Seas gives Royal Caribbean the world's two largest cruise ships. Royal Caribbean launched the Wonder of the Seas in 2022, which measures 1,188 feet in length and has a gross tonnage of 235,600.
The Icon of the Seas debuts the newest class of cruise ship for Royal Caribbean.
Watch: World’s largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami
Billal Rahman
Sat, January 27, 2024
Watch as the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas embarks on its maiden voyage from Miami on Saturday, 27 January.
The 1,198-foot (365-meter) vessel is the world’s largest cruise ship and has 20 decks with a maximum capacity of 10,000 people.
The ship, which comes with a 55ft indoor waterfall, is longer than the Eiffel Tower and called the “biggest, baddest ship on the planet” by Royal Caribbean president Jason Liberty.
But the ship has been ridiculed on social media, having been described as a “human lasagne.”
Despite running on the “cleanest-burning marine fuel” Royal Caribbean came in second place on Friends of the Earth’s list of polluters in the cruise industry in 2022, leading to climate activists to accuse the company of greenwashing.
The company claimed the “eco-friendly” vessel is built to run on electricity supplied from shore when it is docked, which is a more environmentally sustainable alternative to running highly polluting generators.
The ship’s departure follows several European cities, such as Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam, introducing restrictions on cruise ships in their ports to curb their environmental impact.
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