In a little over a month from now, Royal Caribbean will be opening its new cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas. The facility is the world’s first zero-energy cruise terminal, able to generate 100% of its needed energy through on-site solar panels.
Royal Caribbean’s goals to be fully carbon neutral by 2050 do not only apply to the cruise ships the company operates. It now extends those principles to the new cruise terminal. The state-of-the-art facility will be the home for Allure of the Seas and several other Royal Caribbean ships.
LEED Zero Energy Cruise Facility
The new $125 million, 161,334-square-foot Galveston Cruise Terminal, which opens on November 9, will significantly expand Royal Caribbean’s presence in Galveston.
The terminal will be the home of Allure of the Seas, the first time Galveston welcomes Royal Caribbean International’s signature Oasis Class.
Several other Royal Caribbean cruise ships will also use the new terminal, such as Adventure of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas. In all, the facility will be able to handle 630,000 Royal Caribbean cruise passengers annually.
With this many ships and guests coming through the terminal weekly, one area that Royal Caribbean has been focused on is energy consumption. What it has achieved is quite impressive.
Once opened, the cruise terminal in Galveston will be the first of its kind to generate 100% of the energy needed to run all systems through a massive array of solar panels measuring 30,000 square feet.
“We are focused on innovating across all aspects of our company, especially in our work to advance sustainability in the communities we visit,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “We deeply value both the oceans we sail and the communities we visit and operate in, and the modern design and development features at our terminal in Galveston will work in service of both.”
The level of environmental innovation means the new terminal will be awarded the coveted LEED Gold certification. This industry-leading certification provides a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings.
Green Initiatives
While one can argue that the cruise industry is not the greenest in the world, one thing is sure, cruise companies are making an impact with the new initiatives they are introducing.
The new cruise terminal in Galveston is packed with the most modern innovations to make the building as green as possible. All this with a focus on advancing sustainable infrastructure development and Royal Caribbean’s decarbonization strategy.
The solar panels will provide over 100% of the energy needs of the building; the surplus will be sent to the local power grid. There will be bicycles for staff, providing alternative transportation to the city, and electric charging points for vehicles.
The building has been built with materials that produce less carbon based on energy used and transportation. At the same time, these materials have been designed to minimize the heat-island effect.
Adventure of the Seas will be the first cruise ship to use the new terminal on November 10. The cruise ship will sail a four-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel. On November 13, Allure of the Seas will make her long-awaited debut from Galveston. The 225,282 gross tonnes Oasis-class cruise ship will sail a seven-night cruise to Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.
