King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have visited LNG’s barge in Hamburg. Attending a conference on the use of liquefied natural gas in maritime industry, on March 20, 2015, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima paid a visit to the world’s first LNG Hybrid Barge in Hamburg.

“We’re delighted to welcome such noble guests and we appreciate the Dutch royal couple’s interest in this in this project, which is the first of its kind in the world,” said Michael Ungerer, president of AIDA.

“The Netherlands have become a trailblazer in the use of LNG for supplying ships with energy. We are confident that we will celebrate a premiere in early 2016 in Rotterdam, when AIDAprima – as the only cruise ship equipped with a Dual Fuel Engine so far – will be supplied with LNG for its production of energy for the first time in the Netherlands.”

The world’s first LNG hybrid barge of Becker Marine Systems was christened with the name “Hummel” on October 18, 2014, in HafenCity Hamburg.

With the start of the new cruise season in the spring of 2015, AIDAsol will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a test run while it is berthed in the Port of Hamburg.

Thanks to the use liquefied natural gas in the energy production of ships, emissions and particle discharge will be significantly reduced.

Compared to the use of conventional marine diesel with 0.1 percent sulfur content, no sulfur oxides and no soot particles are emitted. Nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by up to 80% and carbon dioxide emissions by 30%.

With the LNG Hybrid Barge, up to now a worldwide unique pilot project to generate power on board cruise ships out of LNG while being docked in port, Becker Marine Systems and AIDA Cruises are setting an example for environmental and climate protection.