By
Rebecca Gibson |
AIDA Cruises’ newest vessel, AIDAperla, made her maiden visit to her new homeport in Barcelona, Spain on 7 June 2017.
AIDAperla will dock in Barcelona 31 times this year as part of her seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises. Four other AIDA vessels – AIDAstella, AIDAblu, AIDAsol and AIDAaura – will also make a combined total of 30 calls at the port.
To support Barcelona’s environmental efforts, AIDA will work with local authorities and other partners to supply AIDAperla with LNG fuel while she is berthed in port. AIDAperla is the second cruise ship in the world that has a dual-fuel engine enabling her to produce onboard power from LNG while docked. Sister ship AIDAprima has been supplied with LNG in all five ports of her Northern Europe cruises since May 2016.
Following the completion of Carnival Corporation’s new cruise terminal in Barcelona in 2018, six AIDA ships will call in the city. The €30 million terminal is specifically designed to accommodate Carnival Corporation’s new generation of fully LNG-powered ships. The first, AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova and will start service in autumn 2018.
AIDAperla will also homeport in Palma de Mallorca, the Spanish port which will also host her official christening ceremony when she is named by model and presenter Lena Gercke on 30 June 2017.