Dubai Harbour carries out first LNG bunkeringDubai Harbour carries out first LNG bunkering

Costa Smeralda completed its first LNG bunkering in Dubai Harbour at the weekend – the port’s first LNG refuelling of a cruise ship. 

Bunkering tanker Green Zeebrugge filled the vessel’s three tanks with a total of around 3,000 cubic meters of LNG. Costa Smeralda can be powered for at least 2.5 weeks on one full LNG tank alone. 

‘Costa, as part of Carnival Corporation, is committed to leading the way in sustainable cruising,’ said Giuseppe Carino, Costa Cruises’ sea-land experience operations SVP. 

‘After being the first to introduce LNG in cruise, together with our sister brand AIDA Cruises, we are now also the first cruise line to use this technology in Dubai… we are also developing shore power technology in our fleet, and working on biofuels, new technologies and alternative fuels.’ 

The January 4 operation was made possible with the support of logistics provider Monjasa and with the cooperation of Dubai Port Authority.

Dubai sailings  

Costa Smeralda reached Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal A on December 21 after a repositioning cruise circumnavigating Africa from the Mediterranean. The vessel will spend the winter season in the United Arab Emirates, offering one-week cruises from Dubai until the end of February, calling at Muscat in Oman, Doha in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

On March 1, Costa Smeralda will leave Dubai and return to the Mediterranean. The 37-day long repositioning cruise will include calls to Oman, Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, the Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, France (Corsica), arriving in Genoa, Italy on April 7.