Nobody thinks about their cruise ship's engine until something goes wrong.
A recent Carnival cruise saw its itinerary change completely because its engines were not fully working.
The cruise line did not know that the problem would not be fixed until passengers had already boarded. When the new stops were announced, passengers chanted angrily.
Related: Royal Caribbean shares a key warning to passengers
Carnival, to its credit, offered those cruisers a full refund if they decided to get off or onboard credit and future cruise credit if they stayed on board, Most passengers did opt to stay on the ship, despite the less desirable itinerary, but the so-called mayhem cruise brought a lot of negative attention to the cruise line.
The reality is that cruise lines want to keep their ships in perfect working order. But engine problems can force ships to change their itineraries or even cancel cruises.
In a worst-case scenario, an engine problem can strand a ship at sea or force it to slowly limp home. That's something every cruise line wants to avoid and Royal Caribbean has taken a major step to prevent that from happening.
Image source: Royal Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean makes a key deal
Royal Caribbean has signed a five-year so-called lifecycle agreement with technology group Wärtsilä covering 37 ships across multiple brands.
This is "a service agreement that can help you manage the lifecycle of your vessels and other assets and stay competitive," according to the Helsinki tech company's website.
The agreement was designed to optimize the performance, reliability and availability of the ships’ engines to ensure the highest level of operational efficiency to support and accelerate Royal Caribbean’s sustainability goals.
"This agreement is a testament to the mutual efforts and dedication of both the Royal Caribbean Group and Wärtsilä (WRTBY) teams," Wärtsilä Marine President Roger Holm said in a statement.
"It not only solidifies our exemplary long-term partnership but also elevates our collaboration to new heights. Together, we are committed to achieving the highest operational reliability and meeting the strictest sustainability and decarbonisation standards in the cruise industry."
The deal is about keeping ships in operation and meeting environmental goals.
"Installing the right technological solutions on board is a crucial first step towards achieving the cruise industry’s goal of net-zero operations. However, ensuring these solutions perform optimally throughout their entire lifetime is essential," Wärtsilä wrote.
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Passengers may care about sustainability goals, but their biggest concern is that their cruises take place as planned.
"This framework decreases the risk of unplanned maintenance and costly downtime, and improves performance to save fuel and reduce emissions, allowing the ships to perform optimally while remaining regulatory compliant," the technology company added.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
