AIDAnova bunkers LNG in Barcelona

Carnival Corporation said that its Germany-based AIDA Cruises brand saw the arrival of the world’s first cruise ship powered by LNG, AIDAnova, in Barcelona, where it completed first liquefied natural gas bunkering in the Mediterranean. 

Currently, alongside Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona is the second start-and- end destination for AIDAnova’s seven-day cruises in the Mediterranean.

With Carnival Corporation’s partnership with Shell Western LNG, the cruise ship will be regularly supplied with LNG in Barcelona, Carnival Corporation said in its statement.

Commissioned on December 12, 2008, with four dual-fuel engines and three gas tanks on board, AIDAnova is the world’s first cruise ship that will be operated in port and at sea with liquefied natural gas.

Two of the tanks each have a length of around 35 meters, a diameter of 8 meters and a capacity of 1,550 cubic meters. A third, smaller tank with a diameter of 5 meters, is 28 meters long and has a capacity of approximately 520 cubic meters.

Two additional ships of this new AIDA generation will join the AIDA fleet in 2021 and 2023. Carnival Corporation has a total of 10 next-generation cruise ships able to be powered by LNG in port and at sea on order with delivery dates between 2019 and 2025.