Bahamas flags Carnival’s LNG-powered passenger ship
The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) said June 3 it welcomed the first LNG-powered passenger ship in North America to its flag.
Carnival Cruise Lines registered its LNG-powered passenger ship, Mardi Gras, with the maritime authority.
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“Along with the new LNG technology, the ship features a number of other ground-breaking attractions and amenities for its shipboard customers, but it is its use of an alternative fuel source that will have one of the greatest impacts on the maritime environment as the ship will be the first LNG powered vessel to operate in North America,” the BMA said.
The maritime industry is looking to cleaner fuels such as LNG, along with low-sulphur options, to comply with the emissions reductions outlined by the International Maritime Organisation, dubbed IMO 2020.
Carnival is a leader in cleaner fuels for its passenger line, adding LNG-powered vessels to its fleet at least four years before the IMO protocol was embraced.
“The Bahamas is committed to the IMO sustainability goals and we are encouraged by our shipowners’ goal-based approach through designs and operational processes to achieve regulatory compliance, so it is particularly rewarding to the team at The BMA to have registered our first LNG powered cruise ship and we look forward to adding further newbuilding in the future,” BMA CEO Dwain Hutchinson said.