Celebrity Cruises’ subsequent Edge Series ship can have two Wärtsilä 46F engines able to working with methanol as gas.
When Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises introduces the fifth ship in its Edge Series, will probably be methanol succesful — geared up with a brand new engine mannequin, together with storage and supply methods, that may give it the flexibleness to make use of three forms of gas, together with methanol.
The transfer, which is a part of a rising cruise business curiosity in methanol fueling, entails the collaborative efforts of Royal Caribbean Group, Wärtsilä and shipbuilder Chantiers de L’Atlantique (CdA) to advance using various fuels for the cruise business.
“As we innovate our ship design and offerings, we’re also focused on equally evolving the fuel and technology landscape that powers them,” stated Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “By incorporating tri-fueled engines, we are ensuring that as alternative, low-carbon-based solutions become more viable, our ships will be ready to adapt and drive the industry forward to a more sustainable and net zero emissions future.”
“With the launch of our Edge Series of ships in 2018, we set ambitious sustainability goals to make these ships the most energy efficient large vessels at sea,” stated Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “Working collaboratively with our partners, we have continued to develop new technologies and achieve breakthroughs with each subsequent ship.”
To enable for the ship’s gas flexibility, Wärtsilä will ship two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines transformed to permit them to make the most of three gas sources, together with methanol. These adjustments not solely advance carbon-free cruising, however by including methanol as a gas choice, native emission like sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter are considerably lowered.
“Wärtsilä has invested heavily into researching viable future carbon-neutral fuels for the marine industry, and methanol has emerged as one of the most promising candidates. This will be the second methanol-fueled engine conversion that we have undertaken, and the first with the Wärtsilä 46F engine. We share the commitment to decarbonize shipping, and the transparent partnership between our three companies for this newbuild project is a tremendous boost for achieving this aim,” says Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO of Wärtsilä.
“Development and integration of methanol systems on a cruise ship is a new challenge for Chantiers de l’Atlantique and, for the first time, is part of our decarbonization program,” stated Laurent Castaing, normal supervisor, Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard.
The order for the engines was included in Wärtsilä’s order e-book in January 2023 and the total scope contains two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines able to working with methanol as gas, two 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines, and one Wärtsilä 32 engine. Wärtsilä will convert the 46F engines to run on methanol on the shipyard, previous to commissioning.
