Meyer Werft to Float Out World’s 1st LNG-Powered Cruise Ship Soon

AIDAnova, the world’s first cruise ship that can be entirely powered with liquefied natural gas (LNG), is scheduled to leave Meyer Werft’s covered building dock on August 21.

The float out of AIDA Cruises’ newest ship is planned to commence at around 7.00 pm local time. However, weather conditions or production processes may result in delays or schedule changes, the shipbuilder said.

Once the 180,000-gross ton AIDAnova leaves the building dock, the vessel will berth at the shipyard’s outfitting pier, where its mast and funnel cladding will be fitted.

Until its passage along the river Ems to the North Sea, which is scheduled for the end of September, the ship will remain berthed in the shipyard harbor. There, the newbuilding will undergo further outfitting and work on its interior fittings. Additionally, further testing with LNG will be performed on the ship’s engines and acceptance procedures by the shipowners will also take place.

At the same time, some 1,400 members of the ship’s crew will be commencing their onboard training.

AIDAnova will be welcoming its first guests on board in mid-November 2018, immediately after delivery.

To enable the AIDAnova to berth at the outfitting pier, the floating part of the Spectrum of the Seas that is currently moored there will be moved to another berth at the shipyard harbor. Once the AIDAnova undocks, the floating part of the Spectrum of the Seas currently being fitted at the pier will be maneuvered back to the vacated building dock II, where work will continue, Meyer Werft said in a statement.

Featuring a length of 337 meters and a width of 42 meters, AIDAnova will be able to accommodate 6,600 passengers.

Thanks to its four dual-fuel engines, AIDAnova can be operated both in port and at sea with the currently most environmentally friendly and lowest-emission fossil fuel.

From December 2018, AIDAnova will begin its maiden season with cruises around the Canary Islands. Before those cruises get underway, the new ship will come to Hamburg. On December 2, 2018, AIDAnova will visit the Hanseatic City on the Elbe, after which she will head for Gran Canaria.