US-based supply solutions provider Eagle LNG Partners has partnered with compatriot cruise holding company Royal Caribbean Group to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering for the company’s LNG ships.
As disclosed, the LNG supply will be sourced from Eagle LNG’s liquefaction facilities in Jacksonville, Florida.
The company’s facilities are designed for loading bunker vessels and LNG carriers for the Caribbean while maintaining economies of scale using modular liquefaction technology, according to the company.
The facilities will also be capable of blending in renewable feedstocks to achieve carbon reduction goals.
“Eagle LNG is honored to have been chosen by Royal Caribbean Group as its LNG bunker partner. Our shared vision for a sustainable future, including achieving net zero emissions by 2050, creates a strong foundation for a long-term partnership,” said Matthew Fisher , Vice President of Corporate Development and Sustainability for Eagle LNG.
The LNG bunker supply vessels are optimized for cruise ship bunkering with distance keeping, hose handling, product conditioning and mooring solutions.
Royal Caribbean’s LNG-powered cruise vessel Icon of the Seas will be the first to receive the supply. The construction of the vessel began last June while the LNG fuel tank on the vessel was installed by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku in November last year.
Debuting in autumn 2023, Icon will be the cruise line’s first of three ships to be powered by LNG.
Royal Caribbean’s new Icon class ships are to run primarily on LNG but will also be able to run on distillate fuel, to adjust to calling on ports without LNG infrastructure.
LNG and the ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint, according to the company.
To remind, in 2021, after achieving its carbon reduction target of 35% compared to a 2005 baseline, Royal Caribbean Group has committed to further reducing emissions by 25% by 2025 from 2019 levels.
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