German shipbuilder Neptun Werft has held a keel-laying ceremony for AIDA Cruises’ second LNG-powered cruise ship.
The first building-block for the LNG-fueled newbuild was put in place in Rostock on October 15, 2019. The traditional lucky coin was placed beneath the first of a total of 90 blocks.
On the occasion of the keel-laying, the name of the new ship and its first routing were announced – the ship will be named AIDAcosma and will be cruising from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic Sea from summer 2021.
With a gross tonnage of 183,900 tons and a length of 337 meters, AIDAcosma will have 20 decks, and a space for 2,600 staterooms.
The newbuild will be equipped with an environmentally friendly LNG propulsion sistem like its sister vessel AIDAnova which was handed over to the cruise line in late 2018.
Following the keel-laying for AIDAcosma, the company said it is continuing to contribute to reducing emissions in cruising with its projects related to fuel cells and shore power.
“With AIDAcosma we are consistently continuing our sustainable growth,” Felix Eichhorn, AIDA President, commented.
“With our investments in the development and use of sustainable technologies, we are providing key momentum for research and science clusters throughout Germany.”
The cruise company is set to invest over EUR 2 billion (USD 2.2 billion) in Germany by 2023 with the construction of AIDAcosma and a third LNG-powered cruise ship .
Thanks to the use of LNG, emissions of particulates and sulfur oxides are almost totally avoided, while emissions of nitric oxides and CO 2 are long-lastingly reduced.
AIDA Cruises currently operates a fleet of 13 ships. Once AIDAcosma and the third LNG-powered ship are delivered, 94 percent of all AIDA guests will be traveling onboard ships that can be fully powered with low-emission liquefied natural gas or, in port, with green shore power where available, according to the company.