German shipbuilder Neptun Werft has started the construction of AIDA Cruises’ second liquified natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ship AIDAcosma.
To mark the occasion, a keel-laying ceremony was held at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock.
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The new cruise ship AIDAcosma will sail from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic Sea from 2021.
AIDA president Felix Eichhorn said: “With AIDAcosma we are consistently continuing our sustainable growth.
“The keel-laying of our second LNG-powered cruise ship here in Rostock is also an expression of our company’s economic and innovative power in Rostock and throughout northern Germany.”
The 337m-long AIDAcosma will have a load-carrying capacity of 183,900 gross tonnages. The vessel will be able to accommodate 20 decks and 2,600 staterooms.
Other amenities include the Fun Park with children’s pool, a twin water chute, the water slide, 17 restaurants, 23 bars, Theatrium, shops, a disco, a gym area and a spa.
The LNG-powered ship will be designed to reduce the emissions of particulates and sulfur oxides, nitric oxides and carbon dioxide.
AIDA Cruises will invest approximately €2bn for the construction of AIDAcosma and a third LNG-powered cruise ship. The investment will support job creation in ship-building and maritime supply.
AIDA Cruises’ third LNG cruise ship Made in Germany will become operational in 2023.
The global leisure travel company Carnival owns the Germany-based AIDA Cruises.
Recently, the German cruise liner decided to test the fuel cell system on board its newest large cruise ship AIDAnova as part of a plan to support ‘green cruising’.
In August, AIDA Cruises signed a contract with Corvus Energy to install lithium-ion battery storage systems on board its ships to reduce fossil fuel use and emissions without having an adverse impact on ship performance.
