Tell Royal Caribbean to stop misleading consumers and greenwashing LNG as a clean shipping fuel for its cruises.

Royal Caribbean Group, a behemoth of the cruise industry, reported a revenue of $13.9 billion in 2023, with $506 million spent on advertising. Their advertising tactics portray them as pioneers in sustainability: investing in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cruise vessels for a so-called "clean energy future". 

To put things into perspective, Royal Caribbean’s newest LNG cruise ship "Icon of the Seas" is five times larger than the Titanic – an enormous scale that brings equally enormous concerns for people and the planet. 

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern regarding the apparently misleading claims of Royal Caribbean Group (the parent company) and Royal Caribbean International (the cruise line) around Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) as a shipping fuel.

The Problem:

Royal Caribbean has positioned itself as a leader in “sustaining our planet, energizing communities and accelerating innovation” because they “SEA the future”.  This includes promoting LNG as an alternative shipping fuel that is the "cleanest-burning fossil fuel" and a big step towards building a “clean energy future”. The reality of these floating hotels is far more sinister. We believe these are deceptive statements that are seriously misleading consumers into thinking their cruise journeys are more sustainable than they actually are.

From extraction to combustion, substantial methane emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of LNG represents a significant threat to public health. For millions of Americans, we know methane associated emissions are linked to premature deaths, as well as increasing risks of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization, and other adverse health outcomes. This is especially problematic for overburdened communities who live and work near oil and gas sites. 

Our Requests:

1. Cease Misleading LNG Marketing and Communications: Immediately and permanently stop all forms of advertisement and retract all communications materials that portray LNG as a sustainable, clean, bridge, or solution fuel. This includes unsubstantiated claims of emissions reductions that ignore the full lifecycle impacts of LNG, which promotes it as a viable transition fuel in Royal Caribbean Group’s ‘pathway to net-zero emissions’ and neglects the serious effect of methane emissions on human health and climate. LNG is 85-95% methane and over 80 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2 in the short term.
2. Be Transparent: Publicly disclose comprehensive data on the environmental and human health impacts of Royal Caribbean Group’s operations. Under the truth-in-advertising laws, claims in advertisements must be truthful, not deceptive or unfair, and evidence-based. Therefore, Royal Caribbean Group must include detailed, third-party verified data on its greenhouse gas emissions, with a specific focus on quantifying real-time methane leakage throughout the LNG supply chain and on board its vessels.
3. Prevent Frauds and Financial Risks: Given the well-documented risk of LNG-capable vessels becoming stranded assets, Royal Caribbean Group must demonstrate accountability to its financiers, investors, and stakeholders. This requires basing all future fleet investment decisions on the most credible scientific research and evidence, avoiding the risk of investors being scammed with a fuel option that has no future in the US policy landscape. 
4. Phase Out LNG: The RCG should re-evaluate immediately its investment decision with regards to future LNG-powered cruise ships, especially those scheduled for completion in 2025 and 2026. 
5. Commit to True-Zero-Emission Solutions: To align with the US commitments of zero-emissions shipping and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) GHG Strategy, Royal Caribbean Group must redirect its investments to deploy and scale up zero-emissions technologies and fuels for both new and existing vessels. This includes prioritizing collaborations with shipbuilders, energy providers, and technology companies to accelerate the development and adoption of solutions.

We believe that Americans deserve healthy air quality and fair, evidence-based advertising. Royal Caribbean Group must be held accountable for its advertisement claims and the risks it poses to millions of Americans. 

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Learn more about how methane impacts American human health from the American Lung Association and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.