The world’s largest cruise company said in a statement on Monday that it collaborated with government and industry partners to introduce LNG bunkering to Latin America and the western Caribbean, using a mobile LNG fueling solution to refuel Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Jubilee at Isla Tropicale in Roatan, Honduras.
Carnival did not provide further details regarding the ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation.
The company said that the operation brings a new maritime fueling capability to the region and reinforces Roatán’s growing role within Carnival’s Caribbean operations, positioning Isla Tropicale along “key” western Caribbean itineraries.
Roatan’s location allows LNG-capable ships to refuel with minimal disruption to their routes, helping optimize schedules and voyage planning, according to Carnival.
The achievement also supports Carnival’s broader decarbonization strategy, with LNG serving as “one of several tools to reduce its emissions footprint while pursuing net zero greenhouse gas emissions from ship operations by 2050.”
Carnival said that LNG is currently “one of the most readily available, proven and commercially scalable lower-emission fuels for the maritime industry – reducing direct carbon emissions by up to 20% and almost fully avoiding emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter.”
The group pioneered LNG use in the cruise industry in 2018 and now leads the industry with 11 LNG-capable cruise ships in operation.
By the end of 2033, the company expects seven additional LNG-capable ships to join the fleet, Carnival said.
