AIDAnova: world’s first LNG-fueled cruise ship starts operations

AIDAnova: world’s first LNG-fueled cruise ship starts operations

Carnival Corporation celebrated the start of operations of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruise Terminal in the Canary Islands with the maiden call of AIDAnova, an innovative prototype of a new generation of AIDA ships and the first cruise ship worldwide that can run on low-emission LNG both in port and at sea. In advance of this celebration, Carnival recently announced an agreement with the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to be the first concession-holder to operate the Canary Islands’ and Mid Atlantic´s newest cruise terminal. “AIDAnova is a milestone for our company and the entire cruise industry by offering entirely new vacation experiences. With our new ship, we will contribute to further economic growth of the local tourism and maritime industry. With an extraordinary variety of individual vacation options on board and ashore, we are providing new and exciting reasons for people to enjoy a cruise vacation, one of the vacation industry’s fastest-growing sectors. Furthermore, with our pioneering LNG technology, we start a new era of even more environmentally friendly cruising,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises. The new Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruise Terminal concession operated by Carnival Corporation offers passengers a comfortable experience and modern conveniences, and can accommodate next-generation green cruise ships powered by LNG, including AIDAnova. Tom Strang, senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation, stated: “One of the keys to establishing LNG as an industry standard for powering cruise ships is building an extensive, safe and reliable infrastructure for the fuel across the globe, and we look forward to working closely with Shell to support that effort. The first LNG supply of AIDAnova here in the Canary Islands, only achieved with the active support of the local port authorities, is the start of building a strong foundation for the future of LNG supply for cruise ships across the globe.” In total, following AIDAnova, Carnival Corporation has an additional 10 next-generation green cruise ships on order that will be powered by LNG in port and at sea, with expected delivery dates between 2019 and 2025, leading the cruise industry’s use of LNG to power cruise ships. “We are proud to be supplying LNG for the world’s first LNG-powered cruise ship,” said Tahir Faruqui, general manager, Shell global downstream LNG. “This milestone is a further demonstration of our strength in providing the expertise and infrastructure required to encourage greater use of lower emissions fuels in marine transport. Carnival Corporation has led by example and put itself at the forefront of the sector by using LNG. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the industry to demonstrate a robust and reliable LNG fuel supply chain in the years to come.” Pedro Suárez López de Vergara, president of the Port Authority, also commented: “The policy of environmental respect is one of our pillars and the arrival of next-generation ‘green’ cruise ships powered by LNG is among the priorities of our roadmap for the next years.”

https://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c7-lng-h2-blends/aidanova-worlds-first-lng-powered-cruise-ship-starts-operations/

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