Corvus Energy and AIDA Cruises signed an agreement for further cooperation at the opening of the first production plant of the Norwegian battery manufacturer.
On the occasion of the opening of the first production plant of Corvus Energy in Bergen, AIDA's President Felix Eichhorn and the renowned provider of maritime battery systems signed the new agreement on September 5, to electrify the first AIDA Cruises ship.
AIDAperla will be the first to be fitted with lithium-ion batteries from Corvus, manufactured in Norway, in 2020. The 300-meter ship is due to receive a battery pack able to generate a total output of 10 MWh. This will be the world's largest battery storage system to be ever installed on a passenger ship.
The systems can be charged during sea operation (peak load shaving) and with shore power. In addition to pure battery operation, the marine battery systems may contribute for an extended period of time, e.g. during ship maneuvers or during port mooring. Due to the use of technology, fossil fuel consumption will be reduced further and the efficiency of operations will be increased.
It is planned to incorporate the experiences from the pilot operation of battery systems onboard other AIDA and Costa ships as well.
The use of a marine battery system is another milestone on the way to an emissions-neutral operation. Previously, by the end of last year, AIDA Cruises pioneered a technology leap forward with the launch of its AIDAnova, the first cruise ship in the world operating entirely on low-emission LNG (liquefied natural gas). By 2023, two more AIDA LNG-powered ships will be put into service.