The Carnival Corporation-owned AIDA Cruises celebrated the start of season 2023 with a notable achievement in Port Rostock-Warnemunde Germany on Sunday, April 16th.
Both ships AIDAsol and AIDAmar were simultaneously connected to a shore power facility, marking the first time this has been done in a German seaport. This allowed the vessels to reduce in-port emissions and noise by turning off their diesel engines while berthed.
Felix Eichhorn (AIDA's President) expressed delight in this successful shore power premiere and mentioned the company's commitment to expanding the use of shore power in other European ports in the future. AIDA Cruises aims to eventually use shore power in all ports, contributing to their goal of reducing emissions to almost zero while ships are in port. The company has been a pioneer in the use of shore power, considering this environmentally friendly technology in ship planning and construction since 2004. The first shore power facility for cruise ships in the Baltic Sea region opened in Rostock-Warnemunde in 2021, with a capacity to supply electricity to two cruise ships simultaneously.
Image: Port of Warnemunde-Rostock (Germany)
AIDA has been investing in sustainable technologies as part of its Green Cruising Strategy, including the use of low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the expansion of alternative energy sources such as shore power and battery systems.
The German company is also actively working with partners on solutions for regenerative or synthetic fuels. In July 2022, AIDAprima became the first large-scale cruise ship to use a blend of marine biofuel.