German shipyard Meyer Werft started the construction of the next LNG-fueled cruise ship for AIDA Cruises with the steel cutting.
Delivery is planned for spring 2021, Meyer Werft said, noting that the third vessel in this class to AIDA Cruises in 2023.
The first vessel in this class for AIDA Cruises, the AIDAnova was delivered by the shipyard at the end of 2018.
Commenting during the steel-cutting ceremony, Stephan Schmees, executive board member project management ships at Meyer Werft said, “We are very pleased to work with AIDA Cruises and Carnival Corporation at further establishing LNG as a fuel in the cruise industry. We will also be implementing other innovative technologies on board this ship.”
This generation of ships for AIDA Cruises uses LNG engines by Caterpillar/MaK, which fulfill the strictest environmental regulations. This class of ships has been developed and designed with a focus on energy efficiency, the shipyard said.
The new ships for AIDA Cruises have the capacity for around 2,600 cabins, with a rating of 183,900 GRT.