Environmental performance by RCI pleases Stockholm

Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas is the first international cruise ship to be honoured by the Ports of Stockholm, with its Environmental Life-Buoy Certificate, for its use of low sulfur fuel.

Jewel of the Seas, one of four Royal Caribbean ships equipped with smokeless gas-turbine engines, was recognized for its use of a very refined, distillate fuel, which virtually eliminates airborne emissions compared to internal combustion engines. Gas turbines reduce the emission of nitrous oxides by some 85% and sulfur oxides by more than 90%.

“It is a great honor to receive this recognition from the Ports of Stockholm,” said Harri Kulovaara, senior vice president of Fleet Operations and Newbuildings for RCI Caribbean International. “The use of gas-turbine engines is yet another example of our policy of continual environmental improvement. Our proper environmental stewardship of the seas is one of our highest priorities.”

Since the mid-1980s, the Ports of Stockholm have worked to reduce emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides and to improve waste handling onboard commercial vessels. In 2000, the ports began awarding praiseworthy environmental initiatives on the Baltic Sea with the Environmental Life-Buoy Certificate. As a certificate recipient, Jewel of the Seas is now entitled to reduced harbour fees at the Ports of Stockholm.

Jewel of the Seas, like all Royal Caribbean ships, also operates under the company’s Save the Waves program, a comprehensive environmental protection program. The program operates on three key principles: to reduce the creation or generation of waste materials; to recycle as much as possible; and to ensure the proper disposal of any remaining waste. The program is part of Royal Caribbean’s commitment to environmental innovation and improvement. It assists the cruise line in progressively advancing its environmental performance in ways that go above and beyond regulatory compliance.