Carnival Orders Third LNG Cruiser
US leisure travel company Carnival has ordered a third cruise ship for its German-based Aida Cruises brand, it said February 27. Scheduled for delivery in 2023, the entirely LNG-fuelled vessel will be built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft at its shipyard in Papenburg,
Aidanova is scheduled to join the fleet in December as the first ship of its new generation of LNG vessels, and the first-ever cruise ship in the world to be fully powered by LNG. The second will be christened in the spring of 2021. The three are part of Carnival Corporation's ongoing fleet enhancement strategy with 20 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2018 and 2023, Carnival said.
With its three new LNG ships on the horizon, Aida Cruises continues to pursue its pioneering mission of “green cruising” and sustainable operations. As of 2023, more than half of Aida Cruises’ guests will be spending their vacation on a cruise ship that runs fully or partially on LNG. The use of LNG for ship power prevents emissions of particulate matter and sulphur oxides almost entirely at sea and in port. It also significantly reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides and CO2.
(Credit: Carnival)
Meyer Werft said: “This is the 10th Aida Cruises ship we are building in Papenburg, emphasising a long-term partnership between Aida Cruises and Meyer Werft. Aidanova and the following two sister ships feature the latest technology focused on sustainability and energy efficiency.”
In total, Carnival Corporation has agreements in place with leading German and Finnish shipbuilders Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku to build nine LNG-powered cruise ships across four of its nine global cruise brands with delivery dates between 2018 and 2023 – three for Aida Cruises with expected delivery dates between 2018 and 2023, two for Costa Cruises with expected delivery dates in 2019 and 2021, two for P&O Cruises UK with expected delivery dates in 2020 and 2022 and two for Carnival Cruise Line with expected delivery dates in 2020 and 2022.
The International Maritime Organization, which regulates safety and pollution of shipping, surprised the bunkering industry with its decision to lower the permissible limit on sulphur from 2020, five years earlier than expected. Analysts see no solution to the massive surge in demand for ultra-low-suphur fuel after that date, and expect it to impose big costs on the industry in one way or another, with a big chance of non-compliance.