AIDACruises ‘AIDAnova’ has become the first cruise ship to be awarded the Blue Angel certification for excellence in environmentally friendly ship design.
The newest ship in AIDA’s fleet, ‘AIDAnova’, features several innovative approaches to ‘green cruising,’ including being the first cruise ship capable of being powered in port or at sea by LNG.
Blue Angel is a certification programme instigated by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.
Overseen by an independent jury from various industries, the Blue Angel eco-label concept was designed and launched in 1978 to help consumers and vendors choose businesses that offer environmentally friendly goods and services.
While around 1,500 companies have received a Blue Angel certificate, ‘AIDAnova’ was the first cruise ship to earn the prestigious designation.
“We are honoured to receive this recognition of our long standing commitment to protecting the marine environment and reducing emissions,”said AIDA President, Felix Eichhorn, at the recent award ceremony in Rostock, Germany. “Together with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, we built ‘AIDAnova’ and presented its various technical innovations, including the capability of being powered by LNG. By 2023, we will be putting two more of these innovative cruise ships into service.”
Following ‘AIDAnova’s’ entry into service at the end of 2018, parent Carnival Corp has an additional 10 new ‘green’ cruise ships on order, with expected delivery dates between 2019 and 2025 for five of its global brands—AIDACruises, Carnival Cruise Line, CostaCruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Princess Cruises.
Dr Ralf-Rainer Braun, chairman of the Jury Umweltzeichen responsible for selecting Blue Angel recipients, said of the recognition:”This eco-label is something special. It covers the many requirements that must be fulfilled when a new ship is built. In their sum, they stand for a significant contribution to environmental protection. It is our hope that this award for AIDACruises serves as a positive message for commitment to environmental protection throughout the maritime industries.”
By 2023, half of all AIDA guests will be sailing on ships operated on LNG.
On 15th August, 2019, the first steel was cut at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg for ‘AIDAnova’s’ sistership.
This marked the official start of the second LNG powered cruise ship’s construction. She is due to enter service during the spring of 2021.
Eichhorn said, “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. 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.”
By the end of 2020, some 12 of 14 AIDA ships will be equipped for shoreside energy supply from renewable sources. Simultaneously, AIDA Cruise is also exploring the use of fuel cells, batteries and liquefied gas from renewable sources in cruising.
The company said that it planned to test the first fuel cell unit on board an AIDA vessel in 2021.
