ALTERNATIVE FUELS GREENPORT

LNG powers new cruise liner

8 years ago

Cruise company, Carnival Corporation, has welcomed AIDA Cruises’ new liner, said to be the world’s first cruise vessel powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) both at sea and in port.

The AIDAnova is said to be the world's first cruise ship to use LNG at sea and in port Photo: Carnival Corporation

AIDAnova has set sail for the Canary Islands to welcome its inaugural guests at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, embarking on December 19 for a seven-day holiday cruise around the Canary Islands and Madeira.

Michael Thamm, group chief executive of Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group championed the AIDAnova’s green credentials.

“With Carnival Corporation pioneering LNG technology, we start a new era of environmentally friendly cruising. It’s important now that the respective infrastructure will be further developed as more and more cruise lines are following our example,” he said.

Environmental commitment

The cruise line began investing in LNG as a propulsion technology more than 10 years ago and currently has a further ten LNG-powered ships on order between 2019 and 2025.

In addition, over 40 per cent of the company’s fleet has cold ironing capabilities, enabling ships to use shoreside electric power where available while in port.

The company has also implemented initiatives to optimise onboard energy usage and hull designs and coatings to reduce fuel consumption by minimising frictional drag.