AIDA Cruises Takes Delivery of AIDAperla

German cruise line AIDA Cruises has taken delivery of AIDAperla, the twelfth ship in its fleet, from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Nagasaki, Japan.

The 125,000 gross ton AIDAperla will set sail for the Mediterranean in the coming days and will be christened on June 30 in Palma de Mallorca, the company said.

The newbuilding, which features a length of 300 meters and a width of 37.6 meters, is able to accommodate 3,300 passengers and 900 crewmembers.

AIDAperla is the first cruise ship with an azimuth thruster as other AIDA Cruises’ ships are equipped with usual rudder systems and propellers. In addition, the vessel has dual-fuel engines that will push the ship to a maximum speed of 21.5 knots.

Starting from June 1, before the official launch of the christening cruise on June 24, there will be a five-day introductory cruise from Palma de Mallorca to Marseille, Barcelona and Valencia, according to AIDA Cruises.

From July 2017, AIDAperla will offer cruises in the Western Mediterranean, with Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona being the start and end ports.

From March 2018, Hamburg will be the home port for round trips of AIDAperla to London, Paris, Brussels and Rotterdam.

In March last year, AIDA Cruises added to its fleet AIDAprima, AIDAperla’s sister ship.

“With the successful commissioning of AIDAprima in May 2016, we have inspired many guests for a cruise vacation. For the first time, more than 2 million Germans have decided to go cruising. With the sister ship AIDAperla we will be injecting further important growth momentum into the German vacation market,” Felix Eichhorn, President AIDA Cruises, said.