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The 20-deck Icon of the Seas features seven swimming pools, six waterslides and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges
The world's largest cruise ship is set to set sail from Miami, Florida, on its maiden voyage amid concerns about the ship's methane emissions.
The 365 m long Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can accommodate a maximum of 7,600 passengers on board. It is owned by the Royal Caribbean Group.
The ship embarks on a seven-day island-hopping trip in the tropics.
But environmentalists warn that the ship, which runs on liquefied natural gas, will release harmful methane into the air.
“It's a step in the wrong direction,” Bryan Comer, director of the marine program at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), was quoted as saying by Portal.
“We would estimate that the use of LNG as a marine fuel produces over 120% more lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gasoil,” he said.
LNG burns cleaner than traditional marine fuels such as heating oil, but there is a risk of leaks.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and stores 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Reducing these emissions is seen as crucial to slowing global warming.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson is quoted by media as saying that the Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than the International Maritime Organization requires for modern ships. The company plans to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035.
On Thursday, Argentina World Cup winner Lionel Messi's captain, who currently plays for Inter Miami, attended the ship's naming ceremony. He was seen placing a football on a specially built stand to trigger the traditional “lucky charm” of smashing a champagne bottle on the bow of the ship.
The Icon of the Seas cost $2 billion (£1.6 billion) to build. It now has seven swimming pools, six water slides and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges.