Company's Germany-based
cruise line inaugurates new shore power connection in
Rostock-Warnemünde with AIDAsol as part of ongoing
environmental commitment
ROSTOCK, Germany, May 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AIDA Cruises, a
part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE:
CUK), today announced that Europe's largest shore power plant was
officially inaugurated with one of its ships, AIDAsol, in the
presence of Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's
Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig and
AIDA Cruises President Felix
Eichhorn during the 12th German National Maritime
Conference.
Establishing a shore power supply for cruise ships in
Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany, is
the result of a joint agreement between AIDA Cruises, the state
government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Hanseatic and
University City of Rostock and Rostock Port signed in September 2018.
"With our green cruising strategy, we have been investing in a
sustainable cruise market for many years," said AIDA's Eichhorn.
"The shore power plant in Rostock-Warnemünde is another important
step after the facility in Hamburg
on our way to an emission-neutral cruise that we want to achieve
with our fleet. I would like to thank the state government of
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and all partners involved for the
good and trusting cooperation. Together, we are sending out an
important signal, not just in Germany, but throughout Europe."
The shore power plant, which was completed in summer 2020, is
currently the largest in Europe.
With an output of up to 20 megavolt amperes (MVA), two cruise ships
can be supplied with electricity at the same time in Warnemünde at
berths P7 and P8. In regular passenger operation AIDAsol needs up
to 4.5 megawatts per hour (MWh) of electricity.
The use of shore power to supply ships with energy is a decisive
step for AIDA Cruises to reduce local emissions to zero during
berthing over time, as a cruise ship typically stays in port around
40% of its operating time.
As early as 2004, when the order for the construction of
AIDAdiva was placed, and for all other ships put into service the
following years, the company considered the use of shore power as
an option for environmentally friendly ship operation.
Since 2017, AIDA Cruises has been using Europe's first shore power plant in
Hamburg-Altona with AIDAsol in
regular operation. Currently, 10 ships in the AIDA fleet can use
shore power where available or are technically prepared for it. The
aim is to convert all ships built from 2000 onwards
accordingly.
With AIDA Cruises starting a cruise season from Kiel,
Germany, on May 22, AIDAsol will also be the first cruise
ship to complete the final tests on the newly built shore power
plant there. Its construction is the result of a joint initiative
by the state government of Schleswig-Holstein, the city and the
port of Kiel and AIDA Cruises. AIDAsol is scheduled to arrive in
Kiel on the afternoon of May 13.
As part of its green cruising strategy, AIDA Cruises has been
investing in a sustainable cruise operation for many years. Further
practical steps on the way to the zero emission ship of the future
are already in preparation. This year, AIDAnova will receive the
first fuel cell to be used on an ocean-going cruise ship. In 2022,
the largest battery storage system to date in cruise shipping will
go into operation on board an AIDA ship. In addition, the company
is already addressing the question of how regenerative fuels can be
used on board cruise ships in the future.
Since 2007, AIDA Cruises has been publishing all current
information, facts, data and figures on its commitment to
sustainability in its annual AIDA Cares sustainability report at
www.aida.de/aidacares.