It impresses with its size and features: The “Icon of the Seas” goes on its maiden voyage – and breaks a record.
The world’s largest cruise ship has begun its maiden voyage in Miami. The “Icon of the Seas” left the USA as scheduled on Saturday (local time). She is 365 meters long and can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers on her 20 decks. She will initially spend seven days in the Caribbean. Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi was also present at the ship’s naming ceremony on Tuesday. The cruise ship cost around two billion dollars (1.8 billion euros).
Great importance was placed on attractions. Seven pools, a water park with slides or an outdoor platform for daring climbing trips: a whole new world has been created on the ocean liner. According to the shipping company, the slide will be the highest on a ship ever built. Guests can be catered for in 40 restaurants, bars and lodges.
LNG propulsion controversial due to methane emissions
But the ship is not without controversy. It takes a lot of fuel to move the 250,800 tons. The shipping company claims that it has used particularly environmentally friendly technology to reduce CO2 emissions. It is powered by LNG gas. A Royal Caribbean spokesman is quoted in the media as saying that the “Icon of the Seas” is 24 percent more energy efficient than the International Maritime Organization requires for modern ships. The shipping company plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2035
But environmental activists are not convinced. “This is a step in the wrong direction,” Bryan Comer, director of the marine program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. He estimates that the use of LNG as a marine fuel produces over 120 percent more lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gasoil.
When burned, methane is released, which stores more heat in the atmosphere in the long term than CO2. According to a greenhouse gas study by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates global shipping, the use of LPG as marine fuel increased by 30 percent between 2012 and 2018, leading to a 150 percent increase in methane emissions from ships has.
2024-01-28 01:01:47
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