Innovation made in Germany

The new cruise ship »AIDAnova« not only features the biggest kissing lips of all times. Meyer Werft’s newbuilding is going to set new standards in environmental protection, propulsion and ship management, writes Frank Behling

The Meyer newbuilding »AIDAnova« sets a whole series of records in shipbuilding. With a capacity of 183.900 GT, it is[ds_preview] the largest passenger ship ever built in Germany. This cruise ship, 337m long with a beam of 42m, is the first cruise vessel of the all new Helios class, which was specifically designed by Meyer for Carnival Corp. The contract value of all nine ships on order for four of Carnival’s ten brands amounts to almost 9 bn €, which is by far the largest order of a US company at a European shipyard.

The vessels will be built at Meyer’s shipyards in Papenburg and Turku, Neptun Werft in Rostock will contribute by building the engine room and tank sections. This is the first time that the shipyard has standardized a ship type. Two newbuildings each will go to P&O, Costa and Carnival Cruise Line by 2023. Rostock-based Aida Cruises puts three new ships into service.

The »AIDAnova« was officially handed over in Bremerhaven on 12 December 2018. Ten days later, she sailed from Tenerife with the first passengers – although this was not the initial schedule. The maiden cruise has had to be postponed following a cabin fire at the shipyard’s facility shortly before the final sea trials and due to some problems in the outfitting process.

Four main engines from Caterpillar are the centrepiece of »AIDAnova«. The dual-fuel engines of the MaK M46DF series were supplied by the long-standing partner Zeppelin Power Systems. Since 2007, all ships of the Rostock-based company have been equipped exclusively by MaK. They generate 61.7 MW of electric power and have a weight of more than 200t per unit. The M46DF produces 15,440 kW at 514 rpm and, according to Zeppelin, complies with the new IMO III emissions regulations.

Two redundant electrical systems have been installed to provide both power for the ship and for the propulsion system consisting of two Azipod drives from ABB. In addition, Caterpillar’s scope of supply includes two CAT 3516 gensets and the entire LNG processing plant. The fuel is stored in three tanks built by Neptun in Rostock. With a capacity of 3.500m3, the »AIDAnova« carries almost as much gas as a small LNG tanker. During the first two weeks after the christening, almost 2.000m3 were needed for propulsion.

More than 100 regional suppliers from Germany and abroad were involved in the construction, among others Raytheon Anschütz (bridge equipment), Zöllner (typhon and acoustics), Hatecke (lifeboats) and Otis (lifts). The 2,626 passenger cabins and 700 crew cabins were built in 21 different versions by Ems PreCab in Papenburg. From Harsum in Lower Saxony comes the gigantic washing facility for more than 200,000 pieces of laundry. For the first time, the laundry runs as a largely automated system by using a tunnel washer. This saves a lot of water compared to previous systems. Deerberg Systems from Oldenburg delivered a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system.

The »AIDAnova« will predominantly run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). During the first refuelling in Tenerife 2.188m3 were taken from Dutch bunker tanker »Cardissa«. Later, the »Cardissa«, designed for ice voyages in Northern Europe, was replaced by Anthony Veder’s »Coral Methane«. LNG is brought from Rotterdam or Zeebrugge to Tenerife and is refilled every two weeks during a bunker stop. In addition to its LNG tanks, »AIDAnova« can also store up to 3.000m3 of MGO (marine gas oil). This capacity is needed in times of full load, when all four bow thrusters and both Azipods are in use, e.g. during berthing.

Aida’s new flagship is the first cruise ship worldwide that will operate completely without heavy fuel oil. »We don’t even have any tanks for HFO on board,« says Boris Becker, captain of the ship.

»We are very proud to operate what is currently the most environmentally friendly cruise ship,« says AIDA-President Felix Eichhorn. »And we will continue along this path«. Two sister ships of the »AIDAnova« will follow in 2021 and 2023. The second newbuild will probably be deployed in Northern Europe. Until then and unlike today, ship-to-ship refuelling should also be possible in German ports.

The interior design, developed by Partnership Design, is quite similiar to the proven elements of the Mitsubishi-built »AIDAprima« and »AIDAperla«. But in contrast, the layout of the foredeck was changed. The spray bar with balcony was preplaced by an enlarged fitness and wellness area. The Beach Club and the adventure park »4 Elements« have also been extended. A second pool area on the upper pool deck has been added, quite similar to the popular Sphinx ships.