Royal Caribbean cruise ship will experiment with new alternative fuel this summer

Royal Caribbean is leaning into the future of cruise ship with a new type of fuel the company test out on one of its ships.

Becoming a sustainable company has been an established goal, and it appears trying out a new type of fuel could assist in getting them to that point.

Later this summer, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Apex will begin operating with a sustainable biofuel. Both ships will be sailing in Europe at the time the test begins.

Designed to attract families that enjoy a mega-resort, the 228,081-ton Symphony of the Seas is the fourth ship in Royal Caribbean’s groundbreaking Oasis Class series. 

Celebrity Apex, the second ship in Celebrity’s Edge Class, is a 130,818-ton, 2,900-passenger cruise ship and one of Celebrity’s newest ships.

The goal is to evaluate how well the fuel works, and “contribute critical data and research on the fuel’s capabilities and supply chain infrastructure needed to further the industry’s alternative fuel ambitions.”

Powered by biofuel

Simply put, the new biofuel’s goal is to reduce a cruise ship’s carbon emissions.

The biofuel blend is produced by purifying renewable raw materials like oils and fats and combining it with fuel oil.

Biofuel greatly reduces carbon emissions compared to the burning of the fossil fuels used in marine gas oil. It’s processed through an oil refinery and is molecularly identical to diesel. 

The end result is an alternative fuel that the company hopes is cleaner and more sustainable.

Symphony of the Seas will undergo a three-month test with the new fuel while the ship sails from Barcelona, Spain.

Symphony, however, is not the first Royal Caribbean ship to be powered by biofuel.

Last fall, Navigator of the Seas tested out biofuel when she sailed from Los Angeles, California and became the first a cruise ship to sail from a U.S. port while using renewable diesel fuel.

The test on Navigator was conducted on a three-night cruise to Ensenada, Mexico in October 2022 with one engine powered by 30 tons of biodiesel.  

The test lasted three months.

In the case of Navigator, the biofuel was a combination of waste vegetable and frying oils, animal fat and corn. 

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty talked about the importance of such a step in the evolution for the industry, “Biofuels will play an increasingly important role in achieving, not only our own, but the entire maritime sector’s decarbonization goals in the short and medium term.”

“We take great pride in continuing to push our industry forward in exploring innovative fuel solutions that reduce carbon impact and preserve the vibrancy of the oceans we sail.”

Building on efficiency

Symphony of the Seas is an intriguing test case for Royal Caribbean. As the second largest cruise ship in the world, she is indicative of what cruise ships today are realistically all about.

Even before this test, Symphony was built to be more efficient than previous ships.

Symphony consumes 25% less fuel than Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas.

Plus, the ship had a few ways to improve energy efficiency onboard compared to earlier Oasis Class ships.

One major change was the use of tiny air bubbles under the hull to make the vessel glide more smoothly through the water. 

What happens next?

After the trials are completed this summer, Royal Caribbean Group plans to scale up the use of alternative fuels, including biofuels, across upcoming European summer sailings.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean Group said it plans to continue to use alternative lower carbon fuel as part of its overall plan.

In addition to biofuels, Royal Caribbean Group is building ships that can leverage liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to reduce emissions.

Commonly referred to as a transition fuel, LNG results in 95% fewer particulate matter emissions, nearly eliminates sulfur emissions and reduces nitrogen emissions by 85%, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20%.

LNG isn’t the ultimate solution, but a step in the journey.

Sustainable by 2050

Royal Caribbean Group calls its overarching sustainability goals “Destination Net Zero”, and biofuels are one way it intends to get there. 

Announced in 2021, there are two simple goals:

• Delivery of a net zero emissions cruise ship
• A path to net zero emissions by 2050

Destination Net Zero’s four-pronged approach includes:

1. Modernization of the cruise company’s global brands fleet through the introduction of 13 new energy-efficient and alternatively fueled vessels.
    
2. Continued investment in energy efficiency programs for its fleet, including energy saving technologies, enhanced data systems and digitalization.
    
3. Development of alternative fuel and alternative power solutions.
    
4. Optimized deployment and integration of strategic shore-based supply chains.