Royal Caribbean recently announced that their two newest ships—Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Nova—will convert waste into energy on board using next-generation technology. These ships mark the first in the cruise industry to turn solid waste directly into energy.
The ships will utilize Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis and Micro Auto Gasification to convert waste on board into synthesis gas that the ship can then use directly as energy. Additionally, a bioproduct of the system called biochar can also be used as a soil nutrient. President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group Jason Liberty stated that these new systems will “build on our commitment to remove waste from local landfills and deliver great vacation experiences, responsibly.”
This is not the only sustainable stride the company has made in recent years. In addition to these new breakthrough technologies, Royal Caribbean Group has also set a goal to reduce food waste across their fleet by 50 percent by the year 2025. Initiatives include developing a proprietary platform to monitor food supply and estimate how much food should be produced, prepped, and ordered every day; using AI to adjust food production in real-time; and introducing a food waste awareness campaign in the crew dining areas, to name just a few. Already, the company has seen a 24 percent reduction in food waste.
With sustainability at the forefront of these cruising initiatives, the future of travel is beginning to look a little brighter.