A Guide to Cruise Ship Power Systems

Table Of Content

• Toward the Greenest Cruise Port in North America
• Environmentally-Conscious Operations
• Can I go shopping onboard?
• How cruise ships work: An interview with our Chief Engineer
• Power Sources on a Cruise Ship
• AIDA's LNG-powered cruise ships
• Search Underway for Missing Cruise Passenger in Mexico
• All-electric passenger ships

Rolls Royce is the manufacturer of the world's largest GAS marine turbine "Rolls-Royce MT30". The turbine will provide the immense 109 MW of power for the 2 propellers, all the weaponry, radars, command sys, etc. of the new generation UK aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth class. To this class belong HMS Queen Elizabeth (2017-commissioned) and HMS Prince of Wales (2019-commissioned), each of them with a total power consumption of 80 MW.

Carnival orders another LNG-powered cruise ship at Meyer Werft - LNG Prime

Carnival orders another LNG-powered cruise ship at Meyer Werft.

Posted: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Toward the Greenest Cruise Port in North America

Its goal is to reduce the overall carbon emission with its entire fleet. While there are plans to incorporate more, presently this has been a major deterrent in fleets investing in an LNG cruise ship. LNG consists of natural gasses being pumped out of the earth’s core (CH4  or methane) and cooled to -260°F, turning them into liquefied natural gas.

Environmentally-Conscious Operations

The aim is to choose engines that provide the necessary power, fuel efficiency, reliability, and environmental sustainability to enhance the overall cruising experience while minimizing ecological impact. Combined Gas and Steam Turbine Engines, commonly known as COGAS systems, are a hybrid combination of gas turbine and steam turbine engines. These systems are used in larger cruise ships to provide efficient power generation and propulsion. Shore power connection further enhances the environmental sustainability of cruise ships by allowing them to draw electricity from the local grid while docked in port. This helps reduce emissions, noise levels, and fuel consumption, aligning with the industry’s commitment to sustainability. As technology evolves, cruise ships are also exploring innovative solutions to enhance shore power capabilities.

Can I go shopping onboard?

The cruise companies measure these decisions and prices to minimize cost and maximize returns (of course). Distillation and desalination process uses a purification system to take all contents out of the water. This is generally not healthy to drink, so this water is mineralized and chlorinated for taste and safety.

How cruise ships work: An interview with our Chief Engineer

Electrically driven pumps take in cold seawater from the ocean to help cool the engines; electrical pumps take fuel from the fuel tanks and supply it to the engine. Electrical power is critical to many operating functions, and without it, the ship comes to a halt. As you'd expect, an area that creates enough power to drive a skyscraper-sized vessel through the water is large -- and engine rooms are often at least three decks high.

Power Sources on a Cruise Ship

Hot exhaust is forced over a turbine, which spins to mechanically drive the shaft. Ships that do use this type of power have usually solar panels affixed to their exteriors. While they are not powerful enough to propel the ship on their own, the electricity generated from these panels is used for supplementary purposes, such as interior lights, elevators, and fuel engines.

The regulations require full redundancies -- including two engine rooms and the doubling up of cables and electrical systems that snake throughout ships. This means that even if a fire destroys one main engine room and the generators that supply the power to move the ship, a separate engine room with enough power to propel the ship would still be operational. However, new technology and research is driving even greater efficiencies and more environmentally friendly ships.

All new TUI ships are built to the latest standards with environmentally-friendly marine technologies. These vessels, both as design (hull and superstructure) and implemented technologies, are highly energy-efficient. The advanced exhaust cleaning system uses a catalytic and scrubber converter. This technology allows sulfur emissions to be reduced by 99%, and NOx emissions - by 75%. TUI published the company's environmental impact report (first of its kind) including environmental objectives and TUI strategy for a 5-years period. According to it, in 2012 TUI reduced by 3.7% per nautical mile its fuel consumption, and expects further 5% reduction, reducing CO2 emission at the same time by 0.5 kg to 0.55 kg per traveler.

This is for the purpose of safety and redundancy keeping in mind emergencies like fire and flooding. When we examine the sheer size of mega-ships, the fact that engines and engine rooms are built so large is understandable. The cruise industry guidelines comment that the safest method to returning large numbers of guests to a port is by using the ship itself.

Where are cruise ships built? Cruise.Blog - Cruise Blog

Where are cruise ships built? Cruise.Blog.

Posted: Wed, 31 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Almost 20 cruise ships will soon be in service powered by Liquified Natural Gas, or LNG; the first, AIDAnova, set sail in December 2018. One advantage that today's "direct drive" diesels have is the option of using a shaft generator, a device that uses the circular motion of the propeller shaft to generate electricity for hotel services like lighting and cooking. Of course, these shaft generators can only be used when the ship is moving at sea with a fairly constant speed; if the propeller shaft isn't turning, then neither is the generator, and no electricity can be produced. Cruise ships like the Oasis-class (Royal Caribbean) contain six engines, while many others have only four. Space is needed not just for engines, but for fuel tanks, generators, engine workshops, and the control room.

Large cables snake through all the ships to distribute electrical power. They carry power from generators to switchboards, through passageways, public rooms, crew and passenger cabins. If the electrical cables aren't truly redundant, even ships that feature two engine rooms suffer power failure. Main engines and generators require electricity and it's needed to keep them going. Pumps that are driven electrically take in cold ocean water to cool the engines and electrical pumps get fuel from fuel tanks and supply it to the engine. Electrical power is vital for many operational functions - without it, ships come to a halt.

The use of high voltage for DE propulsion is with the view of reducing current and conductor size. This also has the effect of considerably reducing copper, eddy and hysteresis losses. Two PEMs ensure redundancy as the failure of one does not render the ship to operate. Even each PEM has two separate drives or stator windings, known as half-drives which ensure redundancy. In case of failure of one of the windings, the other can be used to safely port the ship.

What about the details of the cruise ship such as the water in your shower? The crankshaft connects to the propeller through a long propeller shaft and gears, which further determines its speed in traditional diesel-powered vessels by steam pressure. Generally, the faster the pistons move up and down from the pressure, the quicker the propeller shifts would move. As shown in the table, depending on the vessel type, the engine will provide power to different aspects of the ship.

By managing power consumption effectively and embracing sustainable practices, the cruise industry aims to minimize its carbon footprint and preserve the beauty of the oceans and destinations it travels to. Generally, these cruises’ primary business is through the onboard casinos, spas, shopping, and drinks. To make maximum profit, companies design these cruises by providing readily available entertainment on board. Most passengers are estimated to use 500$ onboard for their vacation experience. These are cruises that are readily available, common, and well-known by the public with reasonable ticket costs. While the cruise ship constantly pushes the water out of its way when moving forward, the water being pushed will try to come back to its place.

For all the ship’s power, the engine rooms can take up several decks high and are generally divided into several compartments. It may not feel like an open massive space, but it is truly the heart of the ship and the design of the rooms and placement are critical. In addition to its non-toxic coating which creates less resistance as the boat propels through the water, Disney Cruises turn more than 1,000 tons of ocean water into drinkable water everyday. Water from the air conditioning units, nearly 300 tons per day, is used to do the ship's laundry. Possibly the most basic detail to understand about the engine room is its location.