Sail away on the Icon of the Seas: Royal Caribbean’s latest luxury floating voyager can hold around 8,000 people
Did you know?
The first passenger cruise was introduced in 1844
Since 1968, Royal Caribbean has been creating some of the world’s most spectacular cruise ships. Starting with the maiden voyageof the Song of Norway in 1970, the company has created several record-breaking vessels, including the world’s longest liner, the Wonder of the Seas, measuring 362.04 metres, as well as the tallest observation deck aboard the North Star, which allows passengers to view the ocean from a height of 88.6 metres. Now the cruise company will break another nautical record with the construction of the colossal Icon of the Seas cruise liner.
Almost a quarter of a mile long and weighing an incredible 250,800 tonnes, the Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise liner the world has ever seen. Along with more than 20 eateries, a waterpark, ice rink and immersive theatres, this 20-deck vessel has enough space to welcome a maximum of 7,600 guests, along with the 2,350 crew members on board.
But how does a ship so large stay afloat? The answer lies in a principle in physics that’s applied to all ships, called buoyancy. Vessels that weigh thousands of tonnes can float as long as they displace the same amount of water. Cruise ships have a hull – the main body of the vessel – shaped like a ‘U’, unlike the ‘V-shaped’ hulls of high-speed boats. The Icon of the Seas’ wider hull shape displaces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of water to maximise the buoyant force holding the vessel above the water. However, for this level of stability at sea, there’s a trade-off between buoyancy and speed. The Icon of the Seas travels at around 25 miles per hour.
To assist in the Icon’s movement through the water, it will also be equipped with an air lubrication system. Air bubbles are rapidly pumped beneath the bottom of the ship by compressors. The ship rides along the bubbles, moving over them like rollers and reducing the amount of friction and drag the ship experiences. There’s also an autonomous cleaning robot that will periodically scrub the ship’s hull to remove sludge and slime, increasing fuel efficiency by up to four per cent.
Powering the Icon of the Seas through the water, its fuel will be liquefied natural gas for the first time in Royal Caribb
