Spotted: AIDA’s Newest Ship Reaches Barcelona

Image Courtesy: AIDA Cruises

AIDAperla, the youngest member of AIDA Cruises’ fleet, arrived at the Port of Barcelona via the Western Mediterranean in the evening hours of June 7 as part of its ‘Welcome Cruises’.

During AIDAperla’s maiden season, Barcelona is, alongside Palma de Mallorca, one of the start and end ports for the ship’s seven-day cruises in the Western Mediterranean.

The Rostock cruise company’s twelfth ship, delivered to AIDA Cruises in April this year, will be christened on June 30, 2017, in Palma de Mallorca.

As disclosed, five AIDA ships will be docking in Barcelona a total of 61 times in 2017. Apart from AIDAperla, which will dock 31 times, Barcelona is also a travel destination for guests aboard AIDAstella, AIDAblu, AIDAsol and AIDAaura.

What is more, the company – working with the relevant authorities and other partners – intends to supply AIDAperla with low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) while it is docked at the port.

As AIDAperla’s twin ship AIDAprima has already been provided with LNG in all five ports of its Northern Europe cruises since May 2016, the newbuilding will be the second cruise ship worldwide that, thanks to a dual fuel engine, will be able to produce onboard power from LNG while docked – accounting for some 40 percent of its operating time, according to AIDA Cruises.

The company said it is also discussing this issue with other Mediterranean ports.

Thanks to the completion of the Carnival Group’s new cruise terminal, for the first time six ships from the AIDA fleet will be stopping at Barcelona on their cruises through the Mediterranean.

The cruise corporation is investing a total of around EUR 30 million (USD 33.6 million) in the facility which has an area of some 12,500 m². It is intended for the operation of the next generation of ships that are entirely powered by LNG. The first ship of this generation, AIDAnova, is expected to be commissioned in fall 2018.