Carnival Takes Delivery of First LNG-Fueled Cruise Ship

Carnival Corporation's German-market subsidiary AIDA has taken delivery of the world's first fully LNG-fueled cruise ship, the AIDAnova, from Meyer Werft. She is the largest cruise ship ever built by a German yard. 

"We are incredibly proud to be operating what is currently the world's most eco-friendly cruise ship, and we will be consistently pursuing this path of continuous development," said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.

AIDA plans to continue to invest in LNG propulsion for its newbuilds, capitalizing on the clean-burning fuel to reduce public health-related emissions and comply with ECA requirements.  In less than five years, more than half of all AIDA guests will be traveling on board ships that are either fully or partially powered with LNG.

"With Carnival Corporation pioneering LNG technology, we start a new era of environmentally friendly cruising. It's important now that the respective infrastructure will be further developed as more and more cruise lines are following our example," said Michael Thamm, group CEO for Carnival's Costa Group and Carnival Asia. 

The first guests will be welcomed aboard AIDANova in Tenerife on December 19, 2018. Next summer, AIDAnova will sail for Mediterranean destinations, including Mallorca, Barcelona, Rome, Florence, and Marseilles. The new cruise ship will offer the two most popular routes for German guests - the Canary Islands for the winter season and the western Mediterranean in the summer months. 

AIDA says that the vessel will offer cruisers a significantly larger number of dining choices than previous vessels in its fleet, with 17 different restaurants and 17 bars. AIDAnova also features the first ever TV studio at sea, which will provide onboard live broadcasts in well-known TV formats.