by Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The world’s largest cruise ship was set to make its maiden voyage on Saturday, amid concerns from environmental groups that the vessel, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), could Like other giant cruise ships that followed – does not release harmful methane into the atmosphere.
Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas ship departs from Miami, with a capacity of 8,000 passengers spread across 20 decks, amid growing popularity for cruises.
The LNG that powers it is less harmful than traditional marine fuel but presents greater risks in terms of methane emissions.
Environmental groups say methane leaks from the ship’s engines pose an unacceptable risk to the climate due to their harmful short-term effects.
“This is a step in the wrong direction,” said Bryan Comer, director of the maritime program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an environmental policy think tank.
“We estimate that the use of LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle than marine gas oil,” he said.
In terms of warming, methane is 80 times more harmful over 20 years than carbon dioxide, making reducing its emissions a key part of the fight against global warming.
Cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas use low-pressure, dual-fuel engines that leak methane into the atmosphere during the combustion process, industry experts say.
Two other types of engines used by bulk carriers and container ships emit less methane, but they are too large to be installed on cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean says its new ship is 24% more efficient in terms of carbon emissions than required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
LNG emits fewer greenhouse gases than ultra-low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), which fuels most of the world’s fleet, said Steve Esau, chief executive of Sea-LNG, an advocacy organization. the industry.
Cruise engines convert natural gas into energy in a cylinder, where it is “important to ensure that all natural gas is converted into energy,” said Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and engineering at Wärtsilä , which developed cruise ship engines.
What is not converted can escape into the atmosphere during the combustion process, he added, noting that Wärtsilä’s natural gas engine technology emits 90% less methane than at 20 or 30 years old.
Cruise ship engines have an estimated methane emission rate of 6.4% on average, according to 2024 research funded by ICCT and other partners. IMO expects 3.5%.
“Methane is getting more attention,” said Anna Barford, Canadian shipping campaigner for Stand Earth, a non-profit organization, noting that the IMO has declared last summer that its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases include tackling methane emissions.
Of the 54 ships ordered between January 2024 and December 2028, 63% are expected to be LNG-powered, according to the Cruise Line International Association. Currently, around 6% of the 300 cruise ships sailing are powered by LNG.
New cruise ships are designed to run on traditional marine gas oil, LNG, or other energy sources like bioLNG, which represent only 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 for environmental, social and governance issues.
“LNG is an element of our current strategy,” he said.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, writing by Mark Porter, French version Benjamin Mallet)
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