Royal Caribbean sees LNG as fuel for the future
Royal Caribbean cruise line said in announcing its quarterly earnings on August 4 that its next class of ships will be powered by LNG.
“Exploring alternative fuel solutions is a major priority for the company and our industry,” it said. “The company's teams are focused on exploring decarbonisation solutions while also continuing to increase our energy efficiency.”
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Royal Caribbean set a goal of achieving a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030, relative to a 2008 baseline.
Apart from LNG, the company said it had already outfitted some of its vessels with mechanisms designed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides.
Just last month, rival Carnival Cruise Line announced that the first LNG-fuelled cruise ship in the Americas set off on its maiden voyage.
The 180,000-metric ton Mardi Gras left from Port Canaveral on July 31 for a week-long cruise with stops in San Juan in Puerto Rico, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, and Nassau in the Bahamas.
Royal Caribbean is under pressure from lagging demand due to the pandemic. Total revenues of $50.9mn in Q2 was far less than then $175.6mn reported during the same period last year.
The company said the more contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could impact immediate bookings, but it expected a strong rebound by the 2022 summer travel season in the Northern Hemisphere.