Royal Caribbean Ships to Get Emissions-Control Systems

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will retrofit 19 of its ships with advanced emissions purification systems starting next year.

The systems, also known as scrubbers, will remove more than 97 percent of the sulfur dioxide emissions generated by the ships' diesel engines, the Miami-based cruise line said Monday.

The scrubbers will position the company ahead of upcoming International Maritime Organization Emission Control Area emissions standards, and will ensure compliance with European Union standards, said Royal Caribbean, the world's second largest cruise operator.

Installing the systems instead of switching to a fuel with a lower sulfur content will ensure that ships comply everywhere they sail.

Advanced emissions purification systems "scrub" exhaust gases by injecting high volumes of water spray into the exhaust stream, removing more than 97 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions, Royal Caribbean explained.

The technology for maritime vessels is new, said Adam Goldstein, company president and COO. Royal Caribbean expects that using multiple technologies to accommodate different ships will help develop the technology further and benefit the entire industry, he said.

Royal Caribbean's six cruise brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Pullmantur.

Starting in January 2015, installation will take place on 13 RCI ships and six Celebrity ships, during scheduled dry-docks for maintenance and while ships are in service, the cruise operator said.

The majority of the emissions purification system will be installed between 2015 and 2017, and each installation will take about eight months, Royal Caribbean Cruises said.

"A retrofit project of this size and complexity — and the scale and intricacy of the research, planning, and design required — is unprecedented for our company," said Harri Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean executive vice president, maritime.

The company's new Quantum of the Seas, which debuted at its home port of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., in early November, is one of two company ships built with an emissions purification system at construction. Another ship — Liberty of the Seas — has been operating one of its six engines with a retrofitted system for two years, Royal Caribbean said.

Source: The Sun Sentinel