How Much LNG Does a Cruise Ship Hold?

By Anna Duncan

Cruise ships are vessels that are designed to transport people on extended voyages. As such, they have to have a large fuel capacity in order to keep the ship running for long periods of time.

One of the most efficient and popular fuel sources used on modern cruise ships is Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). This fuel is not only cleaner than traditional diesel, it also has a higher energy density and is cheaper than other types of fuel.

LNG is stored onboard cruise ships in special tanks, which come in different sizes depending on the size of the vessel. Typically, larger vessels will have larger tanks, with some being able to hold up to 200 tons or more. The total amount of LNG that a cruise ship can hold depends largely on its size and the number of tanks it has onboard.

In terms of energy storage capacity, one cubic meter (m3) of LNG contains around 45 megajoules (MJ) of energy. This means that if a ship has an LNG tank that holds 200 tons of LNG, it will be able to store around 9 million MJ or 9 gigajoules (GJ) worth of energy. To put this into perspective, a typical car engine typically uses about 0.4 GJ worth of energy each hour.

Cruise ships are typically fitted with multiple LNG tanks in order to maximize their fuel efficiency and storage capacity. These tanks can be combined in various ways depending on the needs and requirements of each particular vessel. For example, some ships may use multiple small tanks while others may opt for larger but fewer tanks.

The amount of LNG that a cruise ship can store also depends on its size and design. Smaller vessels may be able to store up to 50 tons while larger ones can store up to 500 tons or more.

Generally speaking, modern cruise ships have enough onboard storage capacity for several days worth of operation without any need for refueling.

Conclusion:

The amount of LNG that a cruise ship holds depends greatly on its size and design as well as the number and type of storage tanks it has onboard. On average, modern cruise ships are capable of storing up to 500 tons or more worth of LNG which allows them to operate for several days without needing any additional refueling.