Longest hull, largest pool, artificial waterfall – the “Icon of the Seas” is bursting with superlatives. On Saturday evening, the cruise ship left the port of Miami for its first guest trip through the Caribbean. Lionel Messi and his teammates from the Inter Miami football club had previously christened the ship.
There is space for almost 8,000 people on board the ship – a floating city
With a length of 365 meters, the “Icon of the Seas” is the largest cruise ship in the world. Bright colors and extravagant furnishings make it clear that the American shipping company Royal Caribbean International was not interested in understatement when developing it. Cinemas, shopping centers and even a water park can be found on 20 decks: entertainment for up to 5,610 guests who can accommodate in the cabins of the ocean liner. To keep the colossus running, 2,350 crew members work on board.
Hybrid engines should make “Icon of the Seas” cleaner
Six hybrid engines power the cruise giant: These can be operated with both classic heavy oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). This fuel puts fewer emissions into the atmosphere. The shipping company describes the “Icon of the Seas” as its cleanest ship to date. Environmental organizations are not convinced: “If you really thought about sustainability and not about your profit, you wouldn’t build a cruise ship with a capacity of almost 10,000 people,” the New York Times quoted Marcie Keever from the organization Friends of the Earth as saying. The environmental protection organization Nabu also believes that LNG is not effective as a fuel for cruise giants: the technology could at most be a niche solution on the way to climate-neutral sea travel.