AIDA Cruises has announced further progress on the way to its first emission-neutral ship in 2030. In Its current sustainability report, AIDA Cares, the cruise line said that it plans to have batteries installed aboard the AIDAperla and fuel cells aboard the AIDAnova in 2021.
“An important milestone was reached in 2019 with the commissioning of the AIDAnova, the first LNG-fueled ship,” said AIDA President Felix Eichorn, in the report. The cruise line’s second LNG ship, the AIDAcosma, is set to enter service next year. A third sister ships is slated for 2023 delivery.
According to the report, AIDA was able to reduce CO2 emissions per person, per day, aboard the AIDAnova in 2019 by about 55 percent compared to the fleet average in 2018.
The company’s efforts in 2019 also included 31 percent less plastic waste and 15 percent less food waste per person, per day, compared to 2018. Water consumption fell by 6.8 percent.
In addition, AIDA said it is focused on sustainable economic development of the destinations where it calls, and in Europe, where it is also based, it claims an annual economic contribution of 5.3 billion euros and 27,000 jobs.
In Germany alone, the cruise line claims to have an economic impact of 3.4 billion euros and generate more than 15,600 full-time jobs (both direct and indirect). The company said it is also working with more than 2,600 suppliers throughout Germany, excluding shipbuilding.
Furthermore, more than 12,000 travel agencies sold its cruises in 2019.