Environmentalists are alarmed: the world‘s largest cruise ship set off on its first cruise at the weekend. The Icon of the Seas is probably five times larger than the Titanic – and runs on liquefied natural gas.
Waterfall and ice skating rink on board: The largest cruise ship in the world left the port of the US metropolis of Miami on Saturday evening (local time) for its first cruise. The Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and is 365 meters long.
The ship can operate at full capacity 7600 guests and 2350 crew members transport. The first cruise takes the ship from the US shipping company Royal Caribbean International to the Caribbean. The Icon of the Seas was manufactured by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku and comes with Liquefied natural gas (LNG) operated.
“Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreams”
World footballer Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates officially christened the ship on Tuesday. The shipping company advertises it as “Largest water park at sea”, “seven pools for every mood” and a dedicated area, called the Neighborhood, for families. It is said that the Icon of the Seas is five times larger than the “Titanic”. Guests could choose between 40 different restaurants and bars.
“Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreams, innovation and our mission to deliver the best vacation experiences in the world in a responsible manner,” Jason Liberty, President of Royal Caribbean, was quoted as saying by the AFP and AP news agencies.
Environmental organizations criticize the megaship
Environmental organizations criticize the megaship. “If you really thought about sustainability and not your profit, you wouldn’t build a cruise ship with a capacity of almost 10,000 people,” the New York Times quoted Marcie Keever of the organization Friends of the Earth as saying.
Environmentalists also fear that LNG-powered ships will increase methane emissions. They criticize that holidaymakers go on a cruise produce eight times more carbon than on land.
The Icon of the Seas will spend a week in the Caribbean before returning to Miami.
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