Royal Caribbean Group will become the major cruise line operator to sail a cruise ship from a U.S. port while using renewable diesel fuel to meet part of the ship’s fuel needs when the Navigator of the Seas sets sail from the Port of Los Angeles on Friday, according to a press release. 

“We are committed to investing in technologies and innovations that will help us reduce emissions and fulfill our purpose to deliver great vacations responsibly,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, Royal Caribbean Group’s Executive Vice President, Shared Services Operations. “As we celebrate this milestone, we continue to set our sights on other leading alternative solutions to meet our net zero goals.”

The renewable fuel being used by the Navigator of the Seas contains less carbon than traditional marine fuels.

According to the company, while this fuel is produced from renewable raw materials, the production process for this fuel makes it molecularly identical to traditional marine gas oil — creating a “drop in” fuel that can be safely used with the ship’s existing engines.

The cruise company plans to continue using lower carbon fuel to meet part of the Los Angeles-based ship’s fuel needs as it evaluates the feasibility for long-term use, with ambitions to expand its usage to other ships across the fleet.

This follows a similar trial by the group’s joint venture partner, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which is exploring a different process for developing a sustainable biofuel.

For the trial, Royal Caribbean Group has partnered with World Fuel Services to supply the renewable fuel to the Navigator of the Seas. The Jankovich Company will deliver the fuel on behalf of World Fuel Services to the ship while at the Port of Los Angeles. Once fueled, the Navigator of the Seas will set sail to Mexico.

“We are extremely proud to be a part of Royal Caribbean Group’s journey toward making the cruise industry more sustainable by leveraging our renewable fuel distribution capabilities and technical expertise to facilitate the use of renewable fuel in a marine application,” said Michael J. Kasbar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, World Fuel Services Corporation.