With a tonnage up to five times the size of the Titanic icon, and the possibility of transporting almost ten thousand people, the construction of the " icon of the seas icon of the Seas ", the largest cruise ship by its builders, which is scheduled to sail for the first time in January 2024, is nearing completion at the Turku shipyard in Finland, despite accusations that it pollutes the environment.

 

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edited by |Jus Mcmahon

 

Travel  section -  CJ journalist

 

Turku (Finland) – August,9,2023

 

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The ship ordered by the shipping company "Royal Caribbean" looks like a small town, it has seven swimming pools, a park, shops and an ice rink.

The"icon of the seas" Icon of the Seas, whose total tonnage may reach 250,800 tons, which is five times the size of the Titanic's cargo, can transport about ten thousand people and will soon cruise the Caribbean Sea from Miami.

"This ship is by far, according to our information, the largest cruise ship in the world,"said CEO of the shipbuilding company Meyer Turku Tim Meyer.

While some criticize the huge ship for its carbon footprint, others are amazed at the sophisticated engineering of this floating tourist attraction and there are those who booked their tickets to travel on it.

The "icon of the Seas", the construction of which began in 2021, is distinguished by a giant glass dome covering its front.

The cruise industry is experiencing a slow recovery after the covid-19 pandemic. According to the International Association of cruise lines, in 2023 passenger numbers will exceed pre-pandemic levels.

"Over the past decade, we have noticed that cruise ships have become larger in size,"said Alexis papathanasis, professor of cruise management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremerhaven, Germany.

"Large ships have obvious economic benefits," he explained, because economies of scale, that is, the cost advantages that companies get due to the volume of their work, reduce the cost per passenger.

Supporters of the adoption of large sizes emphasize that the energy efficiency of a large vessel is greater than the energy used in a number of small boats combined. But the resurgence of the cruise sector and the proliferation of giant ships are causing concern.

"If we follow that logic, we will build more cruise ships, but in smaller numbers," said Constance Dijkstra, a shipping specialist at the NGO Transport and information.

"But that's not the case. We are seeing an increasing number of ships and they are bigger than ever,"he said.

While modern cruise ships are taking measures to reduce emissions through technology -- the "icon of the Seas" is powered by liquefied natural gas --, environmental activists are not convinced.

Dijkstra said the emissions of this gas are lower than those of conventional marine fuel, but "it has serious consequences for the climate due to methane leakage" caused by it.

Liquefied natural gas, composed mainly of methane, is one of the powerful greenhouse gases that may have a much worse impact on the climate than carbon dioxide.

"The problem is that by using LNG as a marine fuel, we are encouraging the growth of the gas industry,"Dijkstra said.

Other challenges also arise with the increasing number of large ships, such as overcrowded ports and the lack of infrastructure ready to handle crowds.

In an effort to increase the number of passengers, cruise lines tend to reduce the size of the crew. This can be a problem, especially in emergency situations.

"Evacuations are more difficult on large ships,"papathanasis said.

 

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