When Icon of the Seas debuts in January 2024, she will be Royal Caribbean's most sustainable ship to date and help push forward the company's goal of creating memorable vacations responsibly.
"We have a responsibility to our planet to continue to evolve and get our ships to as sustainable as they possibly can be," said Jason Liberty, President & CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
"...for us, it's not just to go out and deliver the best vacations in the world, but we need to make sure that we're doing that on a responsible basis."
From cleaner fuels to brand-new technologies meant to manage the water onboard, Icon of the Seas is the culmination of decades of research and innovation and plays an important part in Royal Caribbean's goal to have a net-zero ship by 2035.
This is part of their larger goal of Destination New Zero, or the company's vision for zero net emissions by 2025. In fact, Royal Caribbean recently opened their first net-zero cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas, extending their environmental efforts from their ships to shoreside operations.
"Everything we've learned over the time from energy efficiencies, waste handling techniques, all of that has kind of culminated here of developing a platform that allows us to try new things and also still make sure that we're still delivering the best vacations possible," remarked Nick Ross, Vice President of Environmental, Social, & Governance for Royal Caribbean Group.
Energy
A major aspect of being environmentally friendly is energy.
Meaghan Geis, Assocate Vice President of Marine Strategy & Safety for Royal Caribbean International said, "...it's not just in the engine room and the fuel that we're burning, but it's just in how we're producing water, how we're utilizing water, how we're better using the waste that already produced onboard to help power other things."
Inside of the ship, for instance, you will find LED lightbulbs, while the exterior of the hull will be painted with a specialized paint. More efficient fuel, however, is one of the primary driving forces of it all.
"Icon will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to use the LNG fuel," claimed Michale Bayley, President & CEO of Royal Caribbean International.
"[It is a] general rule of thumb, just the simple use of LNG versus traditional fuel oil is around 30% better in terms of energy and its footprint, so that's a big step forward."
What is unique about Icon of the Seas is that she is being built in a way that she can adapt to future technologies and the next big fuel source. Moreover, she is going to have a hybrid fuel cell to help power some of the ship.
When fuel is converted into energy, no pollutants are found in the exhaust-- all that is present is H2O water vapor and CO2, depending on the fuel source.
"...We also have potential to get maybe even more energy efficiency out of fuel cells if we find the right way to apply them to the shipboard environment" - said Simon Mockler, Senior Director Decarbonization, Newbuilding for Royal Caribbean Group.
In addition, Icon will feature heat recovery systems that capture and reuse heat to be put to use onboard. Cold temperatures from the LNG fuel tanks will help to power the onboard cooling systems, too.
"We [also] started working on underwater grooming, [or] robotic grooming, [which] is essentially where you are constantly maintaining your ship's hull devoid of any slime of algae." Cleaning the hull weekly will help to limit microorganism growth!
Finally, Icon of the Seas will be shore-power ready. This means that if the destination has the required set up, Icon can plug into local power grid, which will replace the need to use fuel every time ship is docked! In fact, Icon will be one of its first to connect in Miami.
Onboard waste
Royal Caribbean is committed to keeping solid waste out of the ocean and landfills. The company started their "Save the Waves" program over thirty years ago in 1992.
Since then, many milestones have been reached, including equipping the entirety of tis global fleet with waste management facilities, systems, and processes established to divert waste from local landfill; installing advanced wastewater purification systems across 88% of its fleet; and introducing the industry's first dedicated onboard Environmental Officers, whose job it is to help guarantee that all waste standards are met.
While every ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet is equipped to be landfill free, a new innovative technology will debut on icon called MAPs, or microwave-assisted pyrolysis, which is essentially the first waste to energy plant at sea.
Moreover, the cruise line has partnered with ports across the globe to ensure that the sorted waste goes to the right place once it is taken off the the ship, whether that is to be recycled, reused, repurposed, or taken to an energy facility.
In 2019, they began the project Win on Waste, which introduced the Food Operations Excellence Coordinator team member on every ship. Their job is tot think about and manage the processes relating to food waste. In 2022, Royal Caribbean reduced their waste by over 24%!
Water
It is no surprise that there will be more water than ever before on Icon of the Seas. Onboard, guests will find seven different pools spread after five decks, nine whirlpools, and six waterslides at their record-breaking Category 6 water park.
At 17,010 square feet, Category 6 will be the largest water park at sea! Here, you will be able to ride on six recording breaking slides, including the first family raft slides at sea: Storm Surge and Hurricane Hunter.
In order to accommodate the need for more freshwater, Icon of the Seas is going to be outfitted with larger systems, both evaporators and reverse osmosis systems, that will be able to support to recreational water need. In fact, Icon will produce 93% of freshwater by itself!
Related: How Royal Caribbean is testing a new water park at sea from its headquarters
When will Icon of the Seas set sail?
When Icon of the Seas debuts, she will steal the title of world's largest cruise ship from Wonder of the Seas.
Her maiden voyage is set to depart on January 27, 2024 from Miami, Florida. Guests onboard the first-ever Icon Class cruise will visit Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas.
