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The world’s largest cruise ship has begun its seven-day maiden voyage from Port Miami – carrying nearly the population of a small city onboard.
The Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas set sail today on a seven-day island-hopping voyage in the Caribbean before returning to Miami.
The $2 billion ship runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern and has 20 decks, 2,350 crew, 2,805 staterooms along with room for 7,600 passengers.
Apart from this, the ship also boasts a 55ft artificial waterfall, 40 dining venues and bars, seven swimming pools including a 40,000-gallon ‘lake’, 50 musicians and comedians as well as a 16-piece orchestra.
The ship is powered by ‘eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas’. According to Reuters, the Royal Caribbean said the Icon is 24 percent more efficient when it comes to carbon emissions than required by the International Maritime Organization.
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Royal Caribbean also said every kilowatt used on the Icon of the Seas ‘is scrutinized for energy efficiencies and emission reductions.’
But despite claims that the fuel is better than traditional marine fuel, environmentalists believe the ship poses high risks for methane emissions.
According to the the International Council of Clean Transportation, methane emissions from LNG-fueled ships in the form of ‘methane slip’ contribute to climate change.
Methane slips occur when ships such as the Icon use low-pressure, dual-fuel engines that tend to leak methane into the atmosphere during the combustion process.
Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Program at the ICCT explained: ‘It’s a step in the wrong direction.
‘We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil.’
Cruise ship engines have an estimated methane slip of 6.4 percent on average, according to 2024 research funded by the ICCT, which is higher than IMO’s assumption at 3.5 percent.
