Above: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Royal Caribbean Cruises is planning a major plan to reduce emissions on its cruise ships.

The company announced this week that it would be retrofitting 19 of its ships with “advanced emissions purifications systems.”

The systems, also known as “scrubbers,” will remove more than 97 percent of the sulfur dioxide emissions generated by the ships’ diesel engines, according to the company.

Two new ships, Quantum of the Seas and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 3 already have the systmes installed, while a third, Liberty of the Seas, has been operating one of its engines with the systems after a retrofit.

“AEP technology for maritime vessels is very new, and we expect that by utilizing multiple technological solutions to accommodate the differences among our ships, additional development will help industrialize AEP technology even more, which will benefit not only RCL but also the larger maritime industry,” said Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises.

The company has tapped two companies, Sweden’s Alfa Laval and Finland’s Warstila to ensure the right systems are in place for each ship.

The installations will begin on 13 Royal Caribbean ships and six Celebrity ships beginning in January 2015, with most slated to be in place between 2015 and 2017.

Each installation will take around eight months.