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AIDA Cruises expands the use of shore power - AIDAsol was connected to shore-side-plants in nearly all ports during a voyage for the first time
April 21, 2023 5:50 AM EDT
Thanks to the growing shore power infrastructure in Northern Europe, AIDA Cruises has reached another milestone on its decarbonization path. With AIDAsol, the first cruise ship in the AIDA fleet could already be connected to shore-side facilities in four out of five ports during its voyage from April 16 to 21, 2023, in Rostock-Warnemünde, Aarhus (Denmark), Kristiansand (Norway) and Hamburg.
"AIDA shows what can already be possible today. Our goal is to be able to use shore power in all ports in the future where port infrastructure is available. With our investments in this clean technology, we are actively supporting the goals of the EU's "Fit for 55" program to build a corresponding infrastructure in all major EU ports by 2030, because we can only achieve the energy transition together," says AIDA President Felix Eichhorn.
AIDAsol's voyage started with a premiere in Rostock-Warnemünde last Sunday, April 16, 2023. During a double call, AIDAmar and AIDAsol were the first two cruise ships to be supplied simultaneously with green energy on the same day in a German port.
Another premiere followed just one day later: In Aarhus, Denmark, AIDAsol was the first cruise ship to conduct shore-side and shipboard integration tests on the newly built facility. The official opening of Denmark's first shore power plant for cruise ships is scheduled for later this year.
Also during the voyage, AIDAsol was successfully supplied with energy from shore during its stop in Kristiansand, Norway, as it was already in 2022.
This Friday morning, AIDAsol arrived in Hamburg, her home port for this year's summer season. Shortly after docking at the Cruise Center Altona, the ship was connected to Europe's first shore power plant for cruise ships and switched off its main engines.
AIDA Cruises has been considering the use of this environmentally friendly technology in the planning and construction of its ships since 2004. More than ten years have passed since the company have been able to start the usage of shore power in regular operation with an AIDA ship in Hamburg Altona in 2017. As an expression of its commitment, the cruise company signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2022 with Cruise Baltic, a network of 31 ports and destinations, to use shore power in the ports of the Baltic Sea region.
AIDA Cruises has been investing in sustainable cruising for many years. As a part of the Carnival Corporation & plc family of cruise brands, the company aspires to achieve carbon-neutral ship operation for its fleet by 2050. In addition to the use of low emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an important bridging technology, AIDA Cruises is further expanding the use of alternative energy sources such as shore power and batteries. Jointly with various partners, AIDA Cruises is intensively working on solutions for the usage of fuel cells or regenerative and synthetic fuels.
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