On August 15, 2019, the first steel cut took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg for the sister ship of AIDAnova, the world’s first cruise ship that is fully powered with low-emission LNG. Just a few days ago, AIDA Cruises was awarded the Blue Angel, the German Federal Government’s ecolabel, for AIDAnova’s environmentally friendly ship design.
With the official start of construction for the second ship of this innovative AIDA ship generation to be put into service in spring 2021, the company is continuing its course and making a further contribution to reduced emissions in cruising. As early as 2023, the third LNG cruise ship of AIDA Cruises, “Made in Germany,” will set sail. Through the use of LNG, emissions of particulate matter and sulfur oxides are almost completely eliminated, NOx and CO2 emissions are sustainably reduced.
“By 2023, around half of all AIDA guests will be sailing on our state-of-the-art LNG ships that stand apart with many further technical innovations for greater efficiency, less fuel consumption and conserved resources,” said AIDA President Felix Eichhorn. “At the same time, we are offering our guests on board our ships an extraordinary variety of individual vacation options, innovative entertainment and culinary concepts that provide lasting impulses to the vacation market in Germany.”
With an investment of around two billion euros just for the construction of both ships in Germany, the company is contributing to the economy and to the creation of secure jobs in the shipbuilding and maritime supply industry. Moreover, AIDA Cruise is currently exploring the use of fuel cells and LNG from renewable sources in cruising. The company plans to test the first fuel cell unit on board an AIDA vessel in 2021.
Source: AIDA Cruises
