Drives with liquefied natural gas (LNG) are considered a bridging technology in shipping. An LNG cruiser has now made its maiden voyage from Hamburg.
The cruise line Aida Cruises sent its newest ship, the “Aidacosma”, on its maiden voyage in Hamburg on Saturday. The 337 meter long ship is the second of the shipping company after the sister ship “Aidanova” to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The week-long journey leads to Southampton in England, Cherbourg in France and via Zeebrugge in Belgium and the Dutch port of Rotterdam back to the Steinwerder cruise terminal in the port of Hamburg.
Like the “Aidanova”, which went into service in 2018, “Aidacosma” was built by the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg an der Ems. Both belong to a total of nine LNG cruise ships of the “Helios” class, which the American Aida parent company Carnival had commissioned from Meyer Werft.
In shipping, LNG drives are seen as a bridging technology on the way to climate neutrality – but they are still in the minority in the cruise industry and in container shipping. Compared to the still predominant diesel drives, LNG drives emit 15 to 25 percent less carbon dioxide; Nitrogen and fine dust are almost completely avoided. Because there is still no terminal for the bunkering of LNG in Germany, according to the shipping company, the “Aidacosma” refuels in Rotterdam on its Western European voyages. When the ship crosses the Mediterranean after the christening planned for April 9th, Barcelona is the place to go for refueling.
The members of the global industry association Clia (Cruise Lines International Association) have committed to reducing the CO2 emissions of their global fleet by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2008. The industry is aiming for CO2-free shipping by 2050.
In autumn, Clia announced that 26 ships with LNG as the main drive were currently underway, under construction or commissioned worldwide. “Upon completion of the current order book, 17 percent of the world’s cruise capacity will be able to be operated with LNG,” said the report, for which a fleet of 242 active ships and the construction regulations for 62 ships on order were evaluated.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
