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It's Solar Cruising Form Now On |
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A new ship from Celebrity Cruises, currently about 80% complete, is being built with eco-friendly technology and design in every phase of construction.
With the ship Celebrity Solstice, a prototypical new design, eco-oriented concerns were actually addressed during its design phase - a radical change in strategy.
Image In the past, cruise ships have been created "top down," with passenger space configured first, then the hull constructed to fit that space. With Solstice, Celebrity designed the hull first, aiming to create the most fuel efficient hull possible - and then built on top of it.
There will also be 80 solar panels on board to power small things such as elevators. The hope is that over time, the ship will utilize more clean energy in its consumption. Besides efficient LED lights throughout, the company also partnered with 3M to create a window coating that will deflect the heat that comes in, reducing the amount of air conditioning needed to cool the ship.
Image In another very interesting green strategy, the buffets will use chilled river rocks — which maintains low temperatures well — in place of ice. This will decrease the amount of water needed for each cruise — as well as the energy required to turn it into ice.
It’s a step in the right direction and something I’m glad to see the cruise industry embracing. |
Hospitality