Icon of the Seas, is 365 meters long, has 20 decks and can accommodate up to 8,000 passengers – Environmental groups are concerned that it will pollute the atmosphere
The Icon of the Seasthe world’s largest cruise ship, set off on its maiden voyage on Saturday, but environmental groups are concerned it will pollute the atmosphere as it may leak harmful methane.
Icon of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean Group, it is 365 meters long, has 20 decks and can accommodate up to 8,000 passengers.
Its interior
Royal Caribbean’s spectacular 20-story cruise ship is essentially a small floating state of 8,000 people (!) since it will carry 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew members.
The Icon Of The Seas is 5 times larger and heavier than the Titanic, weighing 250,800 tons, while the Titanic weighed 50,210 tons.
With seven poolssix water slides, shopping malls, cinemas, waterfall gardens, promenades, nightclubs, activities, 40 restaurants, gyms, playgrounds, stadiums, casinos and endless walks on the super-luxurious decks, it is certain that no one will have time to get bored at sea .
Tickets for this remarkable cruise ship start at 1,900 dollars and can reach up to 5,000 per persondepending on the type of cabin he chooses (one is the double interior and the other is the suite with an ocean view!)
“Bell” of danger for the environment
The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns cleaner than traditional marine fuels but carries greater risks of methane emissions. Environmental groups say methane leaking from the ship’s engines poses a climate risk because of its short-term harmful effects. “It’s a step in the wrong direction.”said Brian Comer, director of the Maritime Program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).
“We would appreciate that the use LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil,” he said. In terms of warming effects, methane is 80 times more harmful in 20 years than carbon dioxide, making reducing these emissions the “key” to curbing global warming.
Cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas they use low-pressure, dual-fuel engines that leak methane into the atmosphere during the combustion process, known as “methane drift,” according to industry experts.
Royal Caribbean says its new ship is 24% more carbon efficient than required by the global shipping regulator, the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Of the 54 ships to be ordered between January 2024 and December 2028, 63 percent are expected to be powered by LNG, according to the International Cruise Line Association. Currently, about 6% of the 300 cruise ships sailing are powered by LNG.
The newer cruise ships are designed to run on traditional marine oil, LNG or alternatives such as bio-LNG, which represent only a fraction of fuel consumption in USA.
Source :Skai
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