When Icon makes its maiden voyage in January 2024 it will be Royal Caribbean’s first ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), with six LNG-powered engines. It will also be the line’s first vessel fitted with fuel cells, and Royal Caribbean has billed the ship as its "most sustainable to date".
Anshul Tuteja, associate vice-president of global fleet optimisation at Royal Caribbean Group, said at launch 10% of the ship’s hotel base load – which includes hotel operations such as air conditioning and lifts – will be powered by just over a kilowatt of fuel cells when the ship is in port.
Speaking in Miami at an event to showcase Icon, he explained: “We’re future-proofing the ship. Our aspiration is that our hotel base load will be [entirely] managed by fuel cells when we’re docked in port.”
Fuel cell batteries combine hydrogen and oxygen to create energy. “The byproduct is water, not emissions, so it’s a lower-carbon solution,” Tuteja explained. “At the moment, all of our energy is through fossil fuels, so this is an addition to the mix as we transition towards greener, cleaner fuels.”
Michael Bayley, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, said if successful on Icon, the second and third Icon-class ships will have increased fuel cell capacity. He stressed that while LNG is a better option that traditional heavy fuel oil, it has gone from being seen as “a future fuel” several years ago, to a “transitional fuel”. He added: "LNG is about 20-30% better for the environment [than heavy fuel oil] but it’s still not going to be the solution. We don’t know the answer, but the whole industry is working towards the answer."
Icon will also carry a hull-cleaning “grooming robot”, which Tuteja estimates will make the ship 3-4% more energy efficient by removing slime from the hull that would otherwise cause drag, and necessitate using more fuel. This is normally removed during occasional routine cleaning, but Tuteja said the robot will be deployed whenever the ship is in port. “Instead of one big clean, we will proactively ‘groom’,” he explained.
While the robot was developed by the group prior to the pandemic, this will be the first time it will be based on a ship. An air lubrication system will also coat the hull in microscopic bubbles to help reduce friction.
Tuteja said as well as reducing emissions, all energy reductions also optimise costs. “Fuel is one of the biggest line expense options – it’s right at the top. We’re under pressure as fuel costs are really high, so we have to keep investing in these technologies to keep lowering our emissions [and costs].”
Icon also has the capability to use shore power, a wastewater treatment system and uses waste heat capture.
