Oriented on making people closer

Icon of the Seas, officially the largest cruise ship in the world, has set sail on its maiden voyage. Participants in the seven-day trip had already bought tickets for it long ago. The ship entered Miami on January 10, having sailed the length of the Atlantic from the shipyard in Turku, Finland, where it was built.

Icon of the Seas left the Port of Miami on Saturday, January 27, just before sunset. It can accommodate a maximum of 7,600 passengers and over 2,000 crew members on twenty decks.

What awaits tourists here? Among other things: seven swimming pools, including the “largest pool in the sea”, a climbing wall, hydromassages, a wave surfing simulator, an ice rink, nightclubs, a rope park, volleyball and basketball courts and, of course, numerous restaurants, 40 of them. The ship also has a water park with slides, a park with trees, theaters, fountain shows, etc.

The launch of Icon of the Seas comes at a time when many European countries are cracking down on cruise ships with new rules aimed at tackling port pollution.

For example, in Norway, from 2026, only ships powered by alternative fuel will be able to enter the country’s harbors. The government is trying to cut pollution on the picturesque fjords caused by the marine diesel fuel that powers many cruise ships.

Newer cruise ships are increasingly fueled with liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce carbon emissions. Burning LNG produces less nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and particulate matter than burning traditional fuels, a major problem for ports around the world where ships sit idling for hours. But environmentalists have concerns about potential methane leaks from the engines these cruise ships use.

Icon of the Seas is just one of a number of new ships with dual-fuel engines that can run on either marine diesel or LNG. This is Royal Caribbean's first ship to run on this fuel.

Royal Caribbean says LNG was the most viable alternative when Icon of the Seas was designed 10 years ago, and could be adapted to other fuel sources such as methanol in the future. The maritime industry sees this as one of the most promising alternative fuels in the near future.

Brief information about the “Icon of the Seas”

Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world, weighing 250,800 tons and almost 365 meters long. This is about five times larger than the Titanic.

The construction and acquisition of the ship itself cost Royal Caribbean International 1.65 billion euros ($1.79 billion). Ticket prices range from $1,723 to $2,639 per person. A cruise during the pre- Christmas season will cost $5,124 per person.

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Photo: getty images