World’s 1st LNG-Powered Cruise Ship Sees the Light of Day
AIDAnova, the world’s first cruise ship powered with LNG, has left Meyer Werft’s building dock in Papenburg, Germany.
It took almost two hours to float out AIDA Cruises’ newbuilding in the evening hours of August 21.
The 180,000-ton vessel will now berth at Meyer Werft’s outfitting pier where its mast and funnel cladding will be fitted.
In addition, further testing with LNG will be performed on the ship’s engines and acceptance procedures by the shipowners will also take place.
From December 2018, AIDAnova will begin its maiden season with cruises around the Canary Islands. Before those cruises get underway, the new ship will come to Hamburg. On December 2, 2018, the 6,600-passenger vessel will visit the Hanseatic City on the Elbe, after which she will head for Gran Canaria.
Thanks to its four dual-fuel engines, AIDAnova can be operated both in port and at sea with the currently most environmentally friendly and lowest-emission fossil fuel.
For this reason, AIDAnova tops Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union’s (NABU) 2018 cruise ship ranking as the ship does not use heavy fuel oil.
As explained, all the remaining 76 ships which were checked, even eight out of nine new vessels coming into the market this year, will continue to use HFO, according to the association.