How Much Fuel Does the Biggest Cruise Ship Use?

By Robert Palmer

The Biggest Cruise Ship Uses a Lot of Fuel

Cruise ships are some of the largest vessels in the world, and they require quite a bit of fuel to move around. The biggest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of The Seas, is no exception.

This massive ship is able to hold up to 6,680 passengers and 2,200 crew members. To power such a large vessel requires an incredible amount of fuel.

The amount of fuel that Symphony of The Seas needs to move around depends on its speed and how much weight it is carrying at any given time. At full speed, the cruise ship can go up to 22 knots (25 mph).

To reach this speed requires an estimated 100 tons of fuel each day. That is equivalent to about 400,000 gallons of fuel every 24 hours.

The size and weight of the cruise ship also factor into how much fuel it needs. Symphony of The Seas is 1,188 feet (362 meters) long and weighs 228,000 gross tons when fully loaded with passengers and cargo. To keep this massive vessel afloat requires a lot of energy which in turn means more fuel consumption.

On top of this, the Royal Caribbean company has made sure that their ships are as efficient as possible by investing in advanced technologies such as waste heat recovery systems and scrubbers that help reduce their fuel consumption by up to 15%. This helps reduce their overall environmental impact but still requires a lot of energy to keep these massive vessels afloat.

It should come as no surprise then that Symphony of The Seas requires a staggering amount of fuel on any given voyage. It takes an estimated 100 tons or 400,000 gallons every 24 hours for this vessel just to stay afloat and operate at full capacity which highlights just how much energy these giant ships need in order to travel around the world safely and efficiently.

Conclusion: It’s clear that the biggest cruise ship in the world consumes an incredible amount of fuel each day; approximately 100 tons or 400,000 gallons every 24 hours when operating at full capacity. While modern technologies have helped reduce their overall environmental impact, it still takes an impressive quantity of energy for these vessels just to stay afloat while they explore our oceans and seas!