Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship, made her first port visit this week when the vessel stopped in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The cruise ship refueled in Rotterdam with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the cleanest burning fossil fuel.
Mardi Gras, set to begin sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, next year, will be the first cruise ship in the Americas to be powered by LNG.
In its liquefied state, LNG is odorless, colorless, more environmentally friendly and less expensive than other fuels. LNG is considered the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology. LNG does require, larger, custom-built tanks than conventional fuel as well as specialized refueling stations, such as the one in Rotterdam.
One of the most technically advanced ships at sea, Mardi Gras is equipped with four medium speed LNG engines that will be run in port and at sea. The ship can operate for two weeks between refuelings.
View Best Itineraries on Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, which was delivered to Carnival Cruise Line last week at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, departed from Rotterdam and is sailing to Barcelona, Spain.
The cruise ship will cross the Atlantic Ocean sometime in 2021. Mardi Gras’ inaugural voyage from Port Canaveral is scheduled for April 24, 2021 and will sail week long cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas.
