AIDAnova Celebrates Five Years in Service

The AIDAnova is completing its fifth year in service this month. After being delivered by the Meyer Werft shipyard, the LNG-powered vessel joined AIDA Cruises fleet on December 12, 2018.

As the first in a series of LNG-powered cruise ships built by Carnival Corporation, the AIDAnova introduced a new generation of vessels for AIDA.

Now sharing the title of largest ship in the fleet of the German operator along with its sister ship AIDAcosma, the 5,200-guest vessel spent its inaugural season in the Canary Islands.

Soon after being delivered, the AIDAnova welcomed guests for its inaugural cruise in St. Curz de Tenerife on Dec. 19, 2018.

On that day, the vessel departed on a seven-night cruise that sailed across the Spanish archipelago and also included a visit to Funchal, in Portugal’s Madeira Island.

In late April 2019, the AIDAnova repositioned to Southern Europe for a summer season in the Western Mediterranean.

Sailing from Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, in Spain, the ship’s regular seven-night itinerary featured three additional ports in Italy and France: Civitavecchia for Rome, La Spezia for Florence, and Marseille.

Currently sailing from Hamburg, in Germany, the AIDAnova is offering a series of cruises to Northern and Western Europe during the 2023-24 winter.

Different itineraries will be offered through late April, including seven-night voyages to Norway and Denmark, and week-long cruises to Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

The cruises can be combined to create a single 14-night cruise that visits Western Europe, the North Sea and Scandinavia.

The AIDAnova remains in the region during the 2024 summer, offering different itineraries to the Norwegian Fjords, Scandinavia and more departing from the German port of Kiel.

New Mein Schiff Relax Launched at Fincantieri

The launch of Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two InTUItion class new concept cruise ships that are dual-fuel powered (LNG and MGO) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, took place at the Monfalcone shipyard.

The godmother of the ship was Elena Sperti, an employee of the shipyard.

At 160,000 tons the ship is a new prototype for the TUI fleet developed by Fincantieri and due to enter service in early 2025.

The vessels will be future-proof thanks to their ability to also burn low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG: an important step towards climate-neutral cruising.

MSC Cruises Details Results of World’s First Net Zero Cruise

MSC Cruises has shared details of the world’s first net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cruise operated in June by its newest ship, the LNG-powered MSC Euribia.

The four-day voyage from Saint-Nazaire in France to Copenhagen in Denmark resulted in a saving of 43 tons of fuel, the company said, and enabled the ship to perform 11 per cent better than the vessel’s digital twin – an ashore virtual ship that reproduced the optimum energy flow and mirrored the fuel utilization onboard.

This was thanks to various optimization and energy efficiency measures, including optimal speed profiles, routing, trim and engine configuration and strict management of the hotel`s energy consumption, according to a press release. 

All the required heat for galleys, heating and ventilation systems as well as production of hot water onboard was recovered from the ship’s engines, which eliminated the need to use the boilers during the voyage.

The ship used bio-LNG as a fuel, which is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method recognized under the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive known as RED II.  Each batch of bio-LNG produced was certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.

Linden Coppell, vice president of sustainability and ESG at MSC Cruises, said: “The MSC Euribia’s pioneering voyage was a significant achievement and proved that net zero GHG emissions cruising is possible today and well ahead of the 2050 target for the industry.  We are eager for the appropriate regulatory and financial incentives for fuel producers to provide the fuels needed, at the scale that is needed, which, alongside technology, will power the industry’s journey towards decarbonization.”

MSC Cruises said will use the data collected during MSC Euribia’s net zero emissions sailing to drive down further the emissions intensity across the fleet.