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First cruise ship LNG bunkering goes without a hitch, AIDAnova readies for sea trials

PHOTO: AIDA Cruises
AIDAnova is scheduled for five days of sea trials to begin late this week
Sea trials for the world's first LNG-powered cruise ship, AIDAnova, are planned for the end of this week, following the successful LNG bunkering at Eemshaven on Oct. 18.

Shell's LNG bunker barge Cardissa

AIDA Cruises confirmed the 3,500-cubic-meter load was supplied, without incident, by the Dutch-registered LNG bunker barge Cardissa. Cardissa operates for Shell, AIDA's strategic LNG supply partner.

AIDAnova has three LNG tanks. The two main tanks can hold up to 1,550 cubic meters each, while the third tank has capacity for 520 cbm. If the tank capacity is fully utilized, AIDAnova can operate on LNG for two weeks, depending on speed and nautical miles covered.

The maiden LNG bunkering operation had to take place in the Dutch port of Eemshaven since permissions for ship-to-ship bunkering in the relevant German ports on AIDAnova's Ems River conveyance from Meyer Werft in Papenburg are not in place yet.

AIDAnova is scheduled for five days of sea trials in the North Sea.

For more about how ports are preparing to handle LNG cruise ships, see Seatrade Cruise Review's cover story, 'Toward a greener future'