AIDA Cruises, as part of the Costa Group, is starting a cooperation with the world’s leading marine battery supplier Corvus Energy from Norway. The aim of the cooperation is the installation of lithium-ion battery storage systems on board the AIDA fleet and the start of operations on the first AIDA ship in 2020.
There can be no doubt, the future of the cruise industry lies in emissions-neutral ship operation, and the electrification of cruise ships is another important milestone to achieve this.
Following the introduction of low-emission LNG operations in cruise shipping, AIDA Cruises is now also stepping up into the practical use of electrical energy from battery storage systems on board large cruise ships.
Thanks to a new partnership with Corvus Energy, and other partners such as ABB and Siemens, AIDA Cruises will launch this innovative technology on a large cruise ship in a few months time.
The Norwegian-Canadian company Corvus Energy is one of the most renowned suppliers of marine batteries and is considered a pioneer in the development of maritime energy storage systems.
Thanks to this technology, the consumption of fossil fuel will be reduced further and the efficiency of ship operations increased significantly.
The Costa Group plans to incorporate the valuable experiences from this pilot operation of battery systems on board other AIDA and Costa cruise ships as well.
The use of a battery system on an AIDA ship is another important step in the implementation of the “Green Cruising Strategy”. By the end of 2018, AIDA Cruises pioneered a technology leap forward with the launch of AIDAnova, the world’s first cruise ship operating entirely on low-emission LNG (LNG). By 2023, two more AIDA LNG vessels will be put into service.
AIDA Cruises is also a trailblazer in many other areas. Since 2017, AIDAsol has been using the shore power plant in Hamburg-Altona in regular operation. As early as the end of 2020, 12 of 14 AIDA cruise ships will be able to receive shore power where available.
As part of its “Green Cruising Strategy”, AIDA is also exploring the possibilities of CO2-free production of liquefied gas from renewable sources (“Power to Gas” project) or the use of fuel cells in cruise shipping. Already in 2021, in cooperation with Meyer Werft shipyard and other partners the first fuel cell test is scheduled on board an AIDA ship.