Sun Princess: the brand’s ‘most innovative’ ship 

The next-generation 175,500-tonne ship is currently under construction at Fincantieri shipyard and is scheduled to debut in early 2024.

It will be the first LNG dual-fuel ship to enter Princess Cruises’ fleet. Sun Princess is part of Carnival Corp’s green cruising focus and is one of 11 new ships in the corporate fleet powered by LNG fuel technology. It is also the first of two currently planned Sphere-class vessels.

Princess Cruises Sun Princess delivery project lead Captain Gennaro Arma says, “Protecting our sea, land and air resources for future generations is Princess’ top priority and the LNG-powered plant on Sun Princess reinforces our ongoing commitment in this critically important area of our operations. Sun Princess will be our most innovative ship and LNG is an important component of our wide-ranging sustainability initiatives that include extensive waste management and recycling programmes, advanced air and water quality systems, food biodigesters and other sophisticated technology that reduces energy consumption. 

“LNG was chosen for Sun Princess because it is a more sustainable fuel solution that has been employed across a variety of maritime sectors, and it helps to significantly reduce emissions compared with traditional fuels.”

Like all LNG-powered vessels, Sun Princess will be bunkered by a barge that will supply the ship with enough fuel to last roughly two weeks of sailing. 

The LNG-powered plant on Sun Princess consists of two tanks each capable of holding 70,000 ft3 of LNG. Capt Arma comments that LNG in its liquefied state is “odourless, colourless, non-toxic, competitively priced and maintains its ’liquefied’ nature by being refrigerated at a very cold temperature – -162°C at atmospheric pressure.” 

He says LNG will not only power Sun Princess’ Azipods – the first ever on a Princess ship – it will be used for all shipboard systems, from elevators, lighting and computers to galley equipment and more. 

Alongside LNG, there are other energy-efficient and green features. Capt Arma says, “Sun Princess will be one of the most technologically advanced ships with sustainable features and processes specifically designed to preserve and protect our precious environment. 

These include advanced air quality systems; advanced water systems that allow the ship to create its own water supply through reverse osmosis; along with food digesters that breakdown and liquefy uneaten food before sustainably returning it to nature; energy-efficient LED lighting; an efficient plant with heat and cold recovery systems that reduce emissions on air conditioning, pools heating, sanitary water heating and navigational tools; air lubrication; the latest advanced waste water treatment system and other efforts; all part of our ongoing commitment to sustainable operations.”   

Singling out the air lubrication system – which allows the ship to glide on a sea of air bubbles – he says it has proven to be effective in reducing drag and thus conserving fuel and energy consumption overall.