Germany's Meyer Werft has started construction of a new LNG-powered ship for AIDA Cruises in Papenburg.
The ship will be the first AIDA Cruises vessel to run on LNG, and delivery is expected to be carried out by the end of next year.
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The new 183,900t cruise liner is already under construction and is set to feature LNG engines made by Caterpillar and various tailor-made technologies, including heat recovery, innovative electric motors, LED lighting and ship automation.
It will also feature space for 2,500 cabins, as well as other technologies that will help the ship comply with design and environmental requirements.
The new Helios-class ship will feature optimised underwater paintwork to reduce resistance, as well as weight-optimised materials.
AIDA Cruises president Felix Eichhorn said: “With the start of construction of the first LNG cruise ship in the world, we are setting standards for the future in terms of eco-friendliness.
“Thanks to the further development of the innovative ship design and a large number of successful product innovations of the existing AIDA fleet, we will be opening up totally new worlds of experience to our guests in the future.
“An extraordinary variety of individual vacation possibilities, innovative entertainment and cuisine concepts, inspired by the modern lifestyle of international hotspots; these are just some of the themes with which we are creating new impetus in Germany's vacation market.”
The new agreement also includes delivery of an additional 180,000t-capacity LNG vessel, which is expected to be delivered by 2021.
Image: AIDA Cruises and Meyer Werft representatives at steel cutting ceremony of a LNG vessel in Papenburg, Germany. Photo: courtesy of Meyer Werft GmbH & Co. KG.
