Carnival cruise line claims LNG leadership position

Travel line Carnival Corp said December 20 in an update on fourth quarter performance that it is running the only large-scale vessels in the industry powered by LNG.

Carnival Cruise Line christened its 180,000-metric ton Mardi Gras cruise ship, the first in its American fleet to be powered by LNG, in October. She took her maiden voyage in July, sailing from Port Canaveral for a week-long cruise with stops in San Juan in Puerto Rico, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and Nassau in the Bahamas.

Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said his company is now operating the only five large cruise ships in the world running on LNG and delivery of a sixth vessel is imminent.

“Upon returning to full cruise operations, our LNG efforts, combined with other innovative efforts to drive energy efficiency, are forecasted to deliver a 10% reduction in unit fuel consumption on an annualised basis compared to 2019, a significant achievement on our path to decarbonisation,” he said.

Five more LNG-powered vessels are on order. Carnival added that its own carbon emissions peaked in 2011 because of improvements in energy efficiency. And it has lowered its fuel consumption by making improvements in itinerary management, fleet optimisation and energy efficiency.

Carnival also said it was working with classification societies and other stakeholders to assess hydrogen, methane, e-LNG and bio-fuels as future low-carbon fuels for shipping. It also plans to carry out assessments with fuel suppliers on how feasible it is to introduce bio-LNG into the mix.

The company said it expected an adjusted net loss of $2bn in Q4 2021, though revenue/passage cruise day improved.