When Navigator of the Seas set sail from the Port of Los Angeles, Royal Caribbean Group became the first major cruise line operator to sail from a US port using renewable diesel fuel to meet the ship’s fuel needs.
This is a step in the group’s work towards decarbonisation.
“We are committed to investing in technologies and innovations that will help us reduce emissions and fulfil our purpose to deliver great vacations responsibly,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, Royal Caribbean Group Executive VP, Shared Services Operations. “As we celebrate this milestone, we continue to set our sights on other leading alternative solutions to meet our nett-zero goals.”
The renewable fuel contains less carbon than traditional marine fuels. While it is produced from renewable raw materials, its production process makes it molecularly identical to traditional marine gas oil, creating a fuel that can be safely used with the ship’s existing engines.
The company plans to continue using lower carbon fuel and expand its usage to other ships across the fleet. This follows a similar trial by joint venture partner, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which is exploring a new process for developing sustainable biofuel.
In addition to testing the use of biofuel aboard Navigator of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean Group will introduce the cruise industry's first hybrid-powered ship in summer 2023 as part of Silversea Cruises’ newest class of ships, the Nova class. The company is also introducing a new zero-energy cruise terminal in the Port of Galveston, Texas that builds on its sustainable design efforts. The terminal will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certified facility, meaning its systems conform to high environmentally responsible standards and use resources efficiently.