July 20, 2022 - Cruise line achieves major milestone in decarbonization strategy
AIDA Cruises has been investing in a future-proof and sustainable cruise market for many years as part of its green cruising strategy. To this end, the company develops innovative solutions together with partners from research, science and industry and uses technologies that pave the way to climate-neutral cruises.
As part of the CO2 emission reduction, AIDA Cruises has now started using biofuels. On July 21, 2022, AIDAprima was the first large cruise ship to be refueled with a mixture of marine biofuel, which is made from 100 percent sustainable raw materials such as used cooking oil, and marine gas oil (MGO) while she was docked in Rotterdam. Cooperation partner is the Dutch biofuel pioneer GoodFuels. AIDAprima is currently on seven-day trips to the metropolises of Western Europe and Norway from/to Hamburg on road.
The current project represents an important milestone in AIDA Cruises' decarbonization strategy. In addition to the use of biofuels, this includes the installation of the first fuel cell on board AIDAnova and the commissioning of what is currently the largest battery storage system in cruise shipping with an output of 10 megawatt hours on board by AIDAprima. In addition, AIDA Cruises relies on the expansion and increased use of shore power during port layovers.
Felix Eichhorn, President AIDA Cruises, emphasizes: "We continue to actively explore all possibilities to decarbonize our fleet while driving efficiency in line with international carbon intensity reduction targets. With the successful launch of biofuel use, we have proven that a gradual "Decarbonization is also possible on ships that are already in service. An important prerequisite for us as a cruise line to be able to use this is broad availability at an industrial level and at marketable prices."
Commenting on the partnership, Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO of GoodFuels, said: “This first biofuel bunkering in collaboration with AIDA Cruises is an exciting step towards the decarbonization of the cruise industry and shows that our sustainable biofuels are a safe, technically feasible and practical option to drastically reduce emissions from passenger ships. With the effects of climate change being felt acutely in many parts of the world, now is the time to act, and biofuels are one of the few options that can make a difference today. We are pleased that we have reached this milestone together with AIDA Cruises as a pioneer in the past few months and look forward to further cooperation in the future."
AIDA Cruises had previously tested the use of regenerated biofuels in ship diesel engines together with research partners at the University of Rostock. Now the first use has taken place during ongoing ship operations. The cooperation with GoodFuels is now to be developed over the long term.
GoodFuels' sustainable and certified biofuels are virtually free of sulfur oxides and offer a CO2 reduction of 80 to 90 percent compared to fossil fuels. They are functionally equivalent to petroleum derived fuels and can be used in already installed marine engines with no modifications to the engine or fuel infrastructure. This makes the use of biofuels in regular ship operations comparatively easy compared to other technological investments.
With the short, medium and long-term measures, AIDA makes an active contribution to achieving the UN goals for sustainable development. The company publishes further information, facts and figures at www.aida.de/aidacares.
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