Royal Caribbean to equip its 19 vessels with emissions purification systems

Royal Caribbean Cruises is set to modernise its 19 ships with the installation of advanced emissions purification (AEP) systems in order to meet environmental standards.

The AEP system, also called scrubbers, will eliminate 97% of the sulphur dioxide emissions generated by the diesel engines of the vessels through exhausting gases by injecting high volumes of water spray into the exhaust stream.

The company has contracted two AEP technology suppliers Alfa Laval and Wartsila for this project. More companies will be selected later to perform the installations.

"AEP technology for maritime vessels is very new, and we expect that by utilising multiple technological solutions to accommodate the differences among our ships."

Thirteen Royal Caribbean International ships and six Celebrity Cruises ships will be part of this project.

With this development, Royal Caribbean will be able to comply with the forthcoming International Maritime Organization Emission Control Area emissions standards and existing European Union standards.

Royal Caribbean Cruises president and COO Adam Goldstein said: "AEP technology for maritime vessels is very new, and we expect that by utilising multiple technological solutions to accommodate the differences among our ships, additional development will ultimately help industrialise AEP technology even more, which will benefit not only RCL but also the larger maritime industry."

Since 2010, Royal Caribbean has been part of the development, testing and planning for the use of AEP technology and its Quantum of the Seas was one of the first vessels equipped with AEP systems during construction.

The installation is expected to start in the beginning of January next year and each installation will take around eight months.