Cruise company Carnival Corporation & plc on Thursday (4 August) announced the rollout of comprehensive technology upgrades called Service Power Packages across its global fleet to further improve energy savings and reduce fuel consumption. 

The upgrades include ongoing installations through 2023 on ships from the company’s nine cruise line brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Carnival Corporation’s Service Power upgrade programme delivers an average of five to 10% fuel savings per ship and is expected to reduce fleetwide greenhouse gas emissions by more than 500,000 metric tonnes each year. In addition to the environmental benefits, the programme upon completion is expected to generate over USD 150 million in annual fuel cost savings.

Developed over the past six years, the company’s Service Power programme delivers significant efficiency upgrades across the fleet, including air conditioning upgrades to cabin and public areas, and major enhancements to cooling, lighting and automation systems. Adjusting for variations in ship design, size and equipment, the company customises the Service Power Package for each ship, which combines the synergies from multiple upgrades with new operational efficiencies, all effectively supporting Carnival Corporation’s energy savings and decarbonisation strategies.

The Carnival Corporation Service Power Packages include the following elements designed to work together to reduce each ship’s overall service load – the energy required to support all onboard hotel systems – and as a result, significantly reduce both fuel usage and emissions:

• Comprehensive upgrades to each ship’s hotel HVAC systems, accounting for 25% of a ship’s energy consumption, to improve hotel ventilation efficiency using sophisticated variable speed drives and on-demand systems throughout public areas, cabins and galleys. Additionally, indoor air quality is continuously monitored and maintained to the highest standards at sea, using an industry-leading air filtration and ultraviolet-C treatment throughout the ship.
• Technical systems upgrades on each ship using variable speed drives and on-demand automated control systems for engine room ventilation, main air conditioning chillers and cooling pumps, which together dramatically lower the energy needed to deliver cooling around the ship.
• LED lighting systems installed throughout each ship will reduce both power consumption and heat load generation – creating a dual benefit from lower air conditioning demand.
• Remote monitoring and maintenance improvements that maximise benefits from the upgrade packages, including improved instrumentation and automated management systems, with nonstop ship-to-shore connectivity. Expanded remote monitoring and analysis of each ship’s energy performance and technical status ensure peak efficiency and minimal down times.

“The Service Power programme closely aligns with our long-term sustainability and decarbonisation goals and our highest responsibility and top priority, which is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we visit, and our shipboard and shoreside personnel,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. 

“Based on our improved fleet composition, including adding six industry-leading LNG-powered ships, and our previous investments to increase efficiency and reduce emissions, our absolute carbon emissions peaked in 2011 despite significant capacity growth over the past decade. These tailored Service Power Packages further build on those efforts as part of our comprehensive approach to sustainability.”

The fleetwide enhancements are part of Carnival Corporation’s ongoing energy efficiency investment programme and efforts to reduce fuel consumption, including over USD 350 million invested in energy efficiency improvements since 2016, along with the company’s fleet optimisation strategy and design of more efficient itineraries. Together, these ongoing efforts are expected to drive a 10% reduction in fuel consumption per available lower berth day (ALBD) in the company’s first full year of guest cruise operations compared to 2019, along with a 9% reduction in carbon emissions per lower berth distance traveled.

The company has committed to reducing carbon emission intensity by 20% from its 2019 baseline by 2030, supporting its efforts and aspirations to achieve net carbon-neutral ship operations by 2050.

Photo credit: Carnival Corporation & plc
Published: 8 August, 2022