The largest cruise ship in the world set sail from MiamiFlorida, on its maiden voyage, amid concerns about the ship’s methane emissions.
He Icon of the Seas, 365 m long, has 20 decks and can accommodate a maximum of 7,600 passengers on board. It is owned by the Royal Caribbean group.
The ship will embark on a seven-day island-hopping voyage in the tropics.
But Environmentalists warn that the ship, which is powered by liquefied natural gas, will release harmful methane gas into the air.
“It’s a step in the wrong direction,” said Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), quoted by the Reuters news agency.
“We estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits more than 120% more greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle than marine diesel,” he said.
The controversy over gas
People bid farewell to the Icon of the Seas from South Pointe Park in Miami Beach. (GETTY IMAGES).
Earlier this week, the ICCT published a report, arguing that methane emissions from LNG-powered ships were higher than current regulations assumed.
LNG burns cleaner than traditional marine fuels such as fuel oil, but there is a risk of leaks.
Methane in the atmosphere is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years.
Reducing these emissions is considered crucial to curbing global warming.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson is quoted in the media as saying that Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than what the International Maritime Organization requires for modern ships.
The company plans to introduce a net-zero emissions ship by 2035.
The launch
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/GQYDAMBNGAYS2MRYKQ2DQORUGA.jpg "The largest cruise ship in the world that set sail from Miami on its first trip (and the doubts it generates) 1")
The Icon of the Seas. (GETTY IMAGES).
On Thursday, World Cup-winning Argentine captain Lionel Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, took part in the ship’s naming ceremony.
He was seen placing a football on a specially constructed stand to bring about the traditional “good luck” of a champagne bottle breaking against the bow of the ship.
The Icon of the Seas cost $2 billion to build. It now has seven pools, six slides and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges.
