Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, made its first arrival into PortMiami on Jan. 10, 2024. Equipped with eight “neighborhoods,” seven swimming pools, six waterslides, and a total of 20 decks, the ship set off on its maiden cruise in response to the growing demand for travel. Notably, the ship is approximately five times larger than the Titanic, with a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600. It was constructed at a cost of $2 billion, measures nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern, and weighs 250,800 metric tons. During a recent briefing, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty referred to the Icon of the Seas as the “biggest, baddest ship on the planet.”The launch of this colossal floating resort has given rise to renewed concerns about the environmental impact of cruise tourism.
The vessel is designed to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than other traditional marine fuels but contains high levels of methane. Methane is approximately 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming the atmosphere, and experts have cautioned that significant reductions in methane emissions are necessary to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis.”It’s a step in the wrong direction,” expressed Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), as reported by Reuters. He further stated, “We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil.” In a recent report, the ICCT warned that methane emissions from LNG-fueled ships were higher than what current regulations assumed, and highlighted the rapidly growing utilization of LNG as a marine fuel.Royal Caribbean International emphasizes that it meticulously evaluates every kilowatt of energy used for the Icon of the Seas for energy efficiency and emission reduction.
