MIAMI, May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest leisure travel company, officially welcomed its fleet's
newest ship into the family over the weekend with the christening
of AIDAprima, now the flagship vessel for its German-based
AIDA Cruises brand.
AIDAprima made its debut with a spectacular light show and
memorable naming ceremony witnessed in person by 1.6 million
visitors at the 827th Hamburg Port Anniversary.
AIDAprima launched as the corporation's most environmentally
friendly ship and the first cruise ship in the world with a
dual-fuel engine that can be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
while in port and at sea.
"The christening was an emotional moment for me – I'm very proud
of our new ship," said Felix
Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises. "With AIDAprima and the
next three new ships to be built for our line, we are once again
charting new territory in the tourism industry, and we will
continue to drive growth in the German cruise market."
Several million people watched the festivities at the harbor, on
television, online and on Facebook when the young actress
Emma Schweiger christened the ship.
A dazzling music and light show followed by brilliant fireworks
turned the night sky over the Port of Hamburg's festival promenade into a glittering
sea of color. AIDAprima was accompanied for the occasion by another
member of the fleet, AIDAaura, which was also part of the
christening ceremony.
"We are thrilled to officially welcome such a beautiful and
technologically advanced ship to our fleet, and it was only fitting
that AIDAprima's naming was celebrated with a show and ceremony as
impressive as the ship itself," said Roger
Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival
Corporation. "This weekend marked another important milestone as we
welcome four new ships to our fleet in 2016. Whether we are sailing
our new or existing ships, our number one goal always remains the
same – to do everything we can to make sure our guests have a great
experience."
Carnival Corporation has now taken delivery of three new ships
in 2016. In addition to AIDAprima, Carnival Cruise Line took
delivery of its 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista on April 28, while Holland America Line celebrated
the handover of its 2,650-passenger ms Koningsdam on April 2. The company is scheduled to receive its
fourth new ship delivery of 2016 when the Seabourn Encore joins the
fleet later this year. Including Seabourn's new Encore ship,
Carnival Corporation has a total of 15 new ships scheduled to be
delivered between 2016 and 2020.
LNG Operations
To add to this past weekend's
excitement, on Saturday AIDAprima successfully completed the full
test run for its LNG operation, meaning the ship will be able to
operate with the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel while in port
– a first for the cruise industry and another positive outcome for
the environment as running on LNG in port will lead to a reduction
in emissions when the ship is docked.
Compared to the use of conventional marine diesel with 0.1
percent sulfur content, emissions and particle discharge will be
significantly reduced by using LNG, and the emission of sulfur
oxide and soot particles will be completely prevented. Nitrogen
oxide emissions will be reduced by up to 80 percent and carbon
dioxide emissions by 20 percent.
"LNG is the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel, and with
AIDAprima, we are the first cruise line in the world to supply a
ship with low-emission LNG for operation in port," said Eichhorn.
"We are once again proving that we are pioneers of innovation, and
I am convinced that our path is a clear signal to the ports and LNG
producers to invest in the necessary infrastructure."
Additionally, Carnival Corporation's four next-generation
cruise ships for Costa Cruises and AIDA
Cruises set to be delivered in 2019 and 2020 will be the first
in the industry to be powered at sea by Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG), representing another major environmental
breakthrough. Pioneering a new era in the use of sustainable fuels,
these new ships will use LNG to generate 100 percent of the ship's
power both in port and on the open sea – an industry-first
innovation that will significantly reduce exhaust emissions to help
protect the environment and support the company's aggressive
sustainability goals.
AIDAprima Ship and Itinerary Specifics
The 124,100-ton
vessel will be able to accommodate 3,300 passengers and will
feature a variety of world-class entertainment, dining and
shopping, as well as onboard activities.
AIDAprima is homeported in Hamburg,
Germany, making AIDA Cruises the first cruise line
to have a ship based in Germany year-round. AIDAprima began on
April 30 the first of its all-season
seven-day journeys through Western Europe including
London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Onboard AIDAprima guests of every generation will enjoy even
more individuality, diversity, service and comfort, with a choice
of 14 stateroom categories. In the areas of dining and
entertainment, the ship features 12 restaurants and 18 bars.
More information on AIDAprima can be found at
www.aida.de/neuegeneration. All offers from the AIDA vacation world
can be booked at www.aida.de, at travel agencies or at the AIDA
Customer Center at +49 (0) 381 / 20 27 07 07.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure travel
company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands
in North
America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised
of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America
Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O
Cruises (Australia)
and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports
around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 15 new
ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and
2020. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates
Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies
in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both
the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival
Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be
included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com,
www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc