Royal Caribbean International operates the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas. She is the first of her class, whose ships are the world’s largest passenger ships. Her hull was laid down in November 2007, and she was finished and handed over to Royal Caribbean in October 2009. But do you know how efficient the MS Oasis was?
The MS Oasis of the Seas cruise ship has a gas mileage of 437 gallons per mile, or 12 feet per gallon when crew members are included, which is not as ridiculous as the overall miles per gallon figure.
Are Cruise Liners Efficient in Gas Consumption?
When most people think of a cruise liner, they imagine a colossal behemoth chugging across the ocean, transporting thousands of passengers in the most luxurious accommodations. The cruise ship’s gas mileage appears to be relatively low, then. To some extent, this is correct.
However, when factors other than straight gas mileage are considered, such as gas per mile per person, cruise ships’ fuel efficiency does not appear so bad. In fact, when compared to jumbo jets, cruise liners aren’t bad at all. (Source: Bright Hub Engineering)
How Efficient is a Large Cruise Ship’s Fuel Consumption?
Larger cruise ships, like cars, have lower fuel efficiency, at least in gross terms. use the world’s largest cruise liner as an example to demonstrate the fuel efficiency of large cruise ships.
The MS Oasis of the Seas, completed in 2010, has a total length of 361.8 meters, a height of 72 meters above sea level, and seating for 6,296 passengers across 16 passenger decks. The Oasis of the Seas consumes 11361 gallons of fuel per hour at its cruising speed of 22.6 knots (26 mph). Thus, the fuel efficiency is 0.0023 mpg or 12.08 feet per gallon.
This figure appears to be very low, especially when compared to car mpg ratings. However, keep in mind that a cruise ship can transport far more people than a Honda Civic. When fully occupied, the Oasis of the Seas achieves 14.40 mpg per passenger or 19.36 mpg per person, including the crew. This is still a low figure, but not as ridiculous as the overall miles per gallon figure. (Source: Bright Hub Engineering)
How Efficient is a Small Cruise Ship’s Fuel Consumption?
It’s difficult to find precise mpg figures for smaller cruise ships, but a rough estimate can be obtained based on engine outputs. The Voyager class of cruise ships is approximately 311 meters long but has a tonnage of only 138,000 tons, and when you compare that to the Oasis of the Seas, which comes in with 225,282 gross Tons.
The diesel engines used in the Voyager class have a total output of 75,600 kW. Assuming a 30 percent efficiency, the boat consumes approximately 1.84 gallons of fuel per second or 6640 gallons per hour. The cruise ship’s fuel efficiency is approximately 0.004 mpg due to the ship’s cruising speed of 23.7 knots, or 27.3 mph.
With 3114 passengers on board, the ship’s gas mileage is 12.79 mpg per passenger or 17.65 mpg per person, including crew. Surprisingly, this isn’t all that dissimilar to the much larger Oasis of the Seas. (Source: Bright Hub Engineering)