Denmark witnessed a significant event as AIDA Cruises and Port Aarhus jointly celebrated the inauguration of the country's first shore power facility for cruise ships on June 20, 2023.
AIDAmar ship successfully received electricity from the shore/city grid during her regular operations. Prior to this, AIDA had already assisted their Danish partners in the preparations for the launch of the newly constructed facility. In April 2023, AIDAsol ship became the first to successfully undergo tests for integrating shore power both ashore and on board.
Felix Eichhorn (AIDA's President) said they were the pioneers in utilizing shore power in Europe. This achievement demonstrated their commitment, as promised to their Cruise Baltic partners in 2022. He added they were delighted that their ships can now access shore power in a Danish port. By investing in environmentally friendly technology, they actively supported the European Union's objective of establishing a shore power infrastructure in all major EU ports by 2030.
Since 2004, AIDA has been considering the adoption of shore power during the planning and construction of their ships. However, it took another ten years before the company could commence regular operations with a cruise ship at Europe's inaugural shore power facility in Hamburg Altona in 2017.
Starting in 2021, AIDA ships have been able to utilize shore power generated from renewable sources in Kiel and Rostock-Warnemunde. Through the opening of additional facilities in their European cruise destinations, the company expanded the utilization of shore power to ports in Norway and the UK in 2022.
As an innovative leader, AIDA has been investing in a sustainable and future-proof cruise market for many years, as part of their Green Cruising strategy. Alongside the use of low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a crucial transitional technology, AIDA Cruises is increasingly incorporating alternative energy sources like shore power and batteries to power their cruise ships. Collaborating with various partners, the cruise company is actively exploring further solutions such as fuel cells or renewable and synthetic fuels, evaluating multiple technologies for practical implementation.
AIDA, being a member of the Carnival Corporation & plc family of cruise brands, aims to achieve net-carbon-neutral ship operation for their fleet by 2050.