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The world’s largest cruise ship has set sail from Miami, Florida, on its maiden voyage, amid concerns about the vessel’s methane emissions.
The 365m-long (1,197 ft) Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers. It is owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
The vessel is going on a seven-day island-hopping voyage in the tropics.
But environmentalists warn that the liquefied natural gas-powered ship will leak harmful methane into the air.
“It’s a step in the wrong direction,” Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Programme at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
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“We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120% more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil,” he said.
LNG burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuels such as fuel oil, but there is a risk of leakage.
A powerful greenhouse gas, methane in the atmosphere traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Cutting these emissions is seen as crucial to slowing down global warming.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson is quoted by media outlets as saying that Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than required by the International Maritime Organization for modern ships. The company plans to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035.
On Thursday, Argentina’s World Cup winning 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-built stand to trigger the traditional “good luck” breaking of a champagne bottle against the vessel’s bow.
Icon of the Seas cost $2bn (£1.6bn) to build. It now boasts seven swimming pools, six waterslides, and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges.-BBC