World’s Largest Cruise Ship Embarks on its Maiden Voyage

 

Icon of the Seas

The Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has embarked on its maiden voyage from Miami, Florida, on January 28, 2024. The ship, owned by Royal Caribbean Group, is a marvel of engineering and entertainment, boasting 20 decks, 7,600 passengers, and a host of attractions and amenities. However, the ship also raises environmental concerns, as it is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which can leak harmful methane into the atmosphere.

The Icon of the Seas was built over a period of 900 days at a shipyard in Turku, Finland, at a cost of $2 billion. It measures 365 meters (1,197 feet) in length, longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower. It has six waterslides, seven swimming pools, an ice skating rink, a theater, and more than 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges.

It also has 50 musicians and comedians, as well as a 16-piece orchestra, on board to entertain the guests. The ship’s naming ceremony was held on January 25, 2024, with the help of soccer star Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, who placed a football on a specially built stand to trigger the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle against the vessel’s bow.

The ship’s inaugural journey is a seven-day island-hopping tour through the Caribbean, visiting destinations such as Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Labadee, Haiti. The ship is expected to attract thousands of tourists who are eager to experience the ultimate cruise vacation. Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said in a statement: “Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission – to deliver the world’s best vacation experiences responsibly. She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board.”

However, not everyone is thrilled by the launch of the Icon of the Seas. Environmental groups have expressed their concerns about the ship’s methane emissions, which could contribute to global warming. The ship is powered by LNG, which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuels such as fuel oil, but 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, trapping 80 times more heat over 20 years.

Cutting these emissions is seen as crucial to slowing down climate change. Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Programme at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), said: “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.” The ICCT released a report earlier this week, arguing that methane emissions from LNG-fuelled ships were higher than current regulations assumed.

Royal Caribbean claims that the Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than required by the International Maritime Organization for modern ships. The company also plans to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035, which would use renewable energy sources and carbon capture technology to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. However, some critics say that these measures are not enough, and that the cruise industry should reduce its overall size and impact on the environment. According to a study by Transport & Environment, a European NGO, the cruise industry emitted more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019, equivalent to the annual emissions of 2.6 million cars.

The Icon of the Seas is the first of four LNG-powered ships that Royal Caribbean plans to launch in the next few years. The company hopes that these ships will set new standards for innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction in the cruise industry. However, the company also faces the challenge of balancing its business goals with its environmental responsibilities, as well as the potential risks of operating such large and complex vessels in a changing climate.

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