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Ships' gas mileage varies depending on the type and size of ship, the number of passengers on board, and other factors. On April 12, 2018, the VIKING LINE-owned ferry Viking Grace became the world's first-ever passenger ship equipped with a rotor sail utilizing wind power. This also made it the world's first hybrid vessel that uses both wind power and dual-fuel (diesel-gas) engines. Probably you've heard about Carnival cruise ship accidents related to power failures in 2013. These will be distributed over the length of the vessel along with ballast tanks. Generally, the only fuel tanks found in the engine room would be the settling and service tanks.
What Is a Cruise Ship Hull?
Since equipment depends on electricity, modern ships contain backup generators on the outside of the main engine room in the event of a fire. Diesel engines are the most traditional type of cruise ship engine. Many of today’s diesel-engine cruise ships also employ a shaft generator to generate electricity for shipboard services, like lighting. Modern diesel-powered cruise ships have between four to six medium-speed (500 revolutions per minute) engines. Each engine can generate upwards of 25,000 horsepower or nearly 18.5 megawatts. All new TUI ships are built to the latest standards with environmentally-friendly marine technologies.
LNG-powered cruise ships
This system's steering is done by a rudder (in the propeller's aft). All ships are supplied with emergency generators to maintain vital electrical power. Backup generators are located higher up and also outside engine room spaces to isolate them from damage or fire. Royal Caribbean plans to use the six multi-fuel engines with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), each providing 67,500 KW of energy to run the ship. The cruise line will scrutinize kilowatts to ensure the Icon of the Seas is energy efficient and reduces emissions. In many cases, the ship will be able to proceed on its own, though at a slower speed.
What Are the Basic Functions of a Cruise Ship Hull?
Space is needed not only for the massive engines, but for fuel tanks, generators, the engine workshop, and the control room. On newer cruise ships, engine rooms are found on the aft of the ship and on the lower decks. We outline what is contained in the cruise ship engine room, what it does, and how much noise and vibration is generated in this area. There are around 100 cruise ships that have embraced this technology. These include Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis-class ships Oasis of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, to name a few. A conventional direct-drive diesel engine comes with disadvantages of high noise and vibration, especially during starting, acceleration and deceleration.
Types of marine diesel engines:
(The last passenger ship built with a steam engine -- Sitmar's FairSky in 1984 – was scrapped in 2013.) Today, diesel engines are the standard. To quell your fears and satisfy your quest for knowledge, we have set out to shed some light on the sometimes murky subject of how cruise ships work -- no engineering degree required. It is where crankshafts, pistons, and hammers rotate to make the ship move forward.
World's largest cruise ship sets sail, bringing concerns about methane emissions - Reuters
World's largest cruise ship sets sail, bringing concerns about methane emissions.
Posted: Sun, 28 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
However, you may still find cabins reasonably close to the engine room. At the following tag-link can be found listed all CruiseMapper's news related to propulsion-power accidents.
Propulsion is diesel-electric (2x shafts with fixed-pitch propellers) and wind-assisted (with 1x rotor sail). LNG tanks are two (type C / vacuum insulated), each with capacity 200 m3 and weight 140 tons (LNG weight 85 tons per tank). The basic detail about the cruise ship engine room is its location. For stability, the ship's heaviest weights are at its lowest possible deck, and usually, engines are mounted above the keel. An area creating enough power for driving such an enormous vessel through water needs to be really big - very often engine rooms occupy at least three decks.
What Are the Cabins in this Location Like?
An intelligent autopilot tracks changes in the behavior of the ship through navigational sensors. If the ship drifts off its course due to strong winds, for example, the system automatically responds to correct the change by sending signals straight to the engine room. Once the signal is received by the engines, the rudder or thrusters of the ship are activated and move to the position given by the system. The displays on the bridge show both the angle of the rudder or thrusters, as well as the rate and the radius of the maneuver in progress.
The engines must be able to operate consistently and safely throughout the voyage to provide a smooth and worry-free experience for passengers and crew. Overall, minimizing the environmental impact of cruise ships through engine selection is a top priority for the industry. Efforts to improve fuel efficiency also extend to operational practices.

Cruise ships may have four to six medium-speed (500 rpm) engines producing 8-10MW each. The ship will sail year-round from PortMiami, offering seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Guests will be happy to know a second Icon-class cruise ship is already under construction and will be completed in 2025.
Ultimately, the selection of engines for cruise ships is a complex process that requires balancing power requirements, fuel efficiency, environmental impact, reliability, and safety. By choosing engines that meet these criteria, cruise ship operators can provide an unforgettable cruising experience while minimizing the industry’s ecological footprint. These systems utilize batteries or energy storage systems alongside combustion engines to optimize fuel consumption and reduce emissions. One significant development in engine technology to reduce environmental impact is the increased adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel source for cruise ship engines. LNG-powered engines significantly reduce sulfur oxide emissions and can offer substantial reductions in nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.
The tunnel thrusters, both forward and aft, stabilizers, machinery loads, galleys, the numerous lighting and hotel loads, ensure that there is a significant demand for power at any given time. When we examine the sheer size of mega-ships, the fact that engines and engine rooms are built so large is understandable. Generally, the safest place to be is your current location at sea. The cruise industry guidelines comment that the safest method to returning large numbers of guests to a port is by using the ship itself.
While cruise ships can move upwards of 34.5 miles per hour (30 knots), most will only travel at 23 miles per hour (20 knots). There are various reasons for speed variations which are outlined in detail in this article. The largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, utilizes six marine-diesel sets, with each composed of three 16-cylinder Wartsila engines. So until the next time someone lets me out of sight and I make my umptieth attempt at trespassing to the engine room, let’s have a quick virtual tour of a cruise ship’s most forbidden and exciting parts. A cruise ship engine room is incredibly noisy, exceeding 173 decibels.
Typically, the fuel is stored near the propulsion system, but it can be located in other segments of the ship to help maintain its overall balance and stability. The cruise ship hull may be one of the most overlooked areas of the ship, but it serves a vital purpose. Only a few ships use wind power, but it is a viable option for future ships. Wind power is the traditional method of sailing, and it makes sense to return to it in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. Ships that are equipped to use auxiliary wind power have a special rotor sail on deck that uses the direction of the wind to create a force to keep the ship moving forward.
These rotor sails are very sensitive to the wind and can shut down when conditions are unfavorable. Possibly the most basic detail to understand about the engine room is its location. Because ships need their heaviest weights located as low as possible for stability, engines are usually mounted just above the keel. The lowest decks of the ship are almost entirely devoted to machinery. Generators power all the vital functions to run a ship, like emergency lights, communications, and navigation systems.
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