Wednesday, August 9, 2023
With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the COVID-19 pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard is putting the final touches on what will be the world’s largest cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean’s luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland’s southwestern coast, its maiden voyage scheduled for January 2024.
This ship is as of today, as far as we are aware of, the biggest cruise ship in the world, said Tim Meyer, CEO of shipbuilder Meyer Turku tasked with the construction.
While some have labelled the colossal structure a “monstrosity”, citing its vast climate footprint, others are in awe of the sophisticated engineering integrated into this floating holiday destination and flocking to buy tickets.
Resembling a village more than a ship, the mammoth vessel boasts colourful waterparks, more than 20 decks and can carry nearly 10,000 people.
A distinct feature of the new ship, which went into construction in 2021 and entered sea trials in June, is a gigantic glass dome that covers part of its front section.
The pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the industry, raising questions about whether it would ever recover. Cruise companies are now seeing customers return.
The Cruise Lines International Association has predicted that passenger volume will surpass pre-pandemic levels with 31.5 million passengers in 2023.
After the restrictions are gone and the situation has eased up, we are seeing that the market is coming back very strong, Meyer said.
The bigger the better
With a gross tonnage of 250,800 – five times the size of the Titanic – Icon of the Seas will snatch the title of the world’s largest cruise ship from Royal Caribbean’s current flagship, Wonder of the Seas.
Meyer Turku also has two more similar sized Icon-class vessels in their order books.
With its seven pools, a park, waterslides, shopping promenades, ice skating rink and “more venues than any other ship”, larger vessels like the Icon of the Seas also offer more options for spending money on board.
The extra income is welcomed by the cruise lines in order to survive COVID-19 lockdowns the cruise lines “had to take a lot of credit” they now have to pay back.
Too big?
The reason behind this is not engineering but rather the financial equation. Also, larger vessels come with their own unique challenges, such as port overcrowding.
As passenger numbers have grown, popular cruise destinations like the modest Arctic town of Longyearbyen in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, for example, have voiced concern over the lack of infrastructure to accommodate such large crowds.
Moreover, as cruise companies aim to increase passenger capacity, they also reduce the ratio of crew to passengers, which can pose challenges in case of unexpected events.
Climatic impact
From a climate perspective, some argue that one large ship is more energy efficient than several small ones. But others disagree.
And while modern ships are taking steps to mitigate emissions with technology – the Icon of the Seas will run on liquified natural gas (LNG) – environmentalists are not convinced.
Often hailed as a bridge towards more climate-neutral options, LNG has lower emissions than traditional marine fuels, but T&E has voiced concern over potential methane leaks.
A typical component of LNG, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that can have a much worse impact on the climate than carbon dioxide.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
