13 bio-LNG or e-LNG and bio- or synthetic diesel respectively. However, it’s not all plain sailing and there is much still to be done, says Eichhorn. “There are limiting factors here, such as the strong demand for e-fuels from aviation and other landbased energy-intensive industries. This has an impact on the availability of alternative fuels at an industrial level at economically viable prices. There is a lack of stable and, above all, global supply chains and refuelling infrastructure, but first and foremost there is an absence of standardised international regulations for the use of e-fuels, biofuels and other innovative technologies.” Batteries and fuel cells are also part of the mix of potential solutions. The largest maritime battery storage system in the passenger shipping industry was retrofitted onboard AIDAprima in 2022, while a methanol-based fuel cell was installed onboard AIDAnova for demonstration purposes in summer 2022. The research project was completed and lessons learnt will be incorporated into future plans, says Eichhorn. Another technology AIDA is using to increase energy efficiency is artificial intelligence. One of the most important investments currently being made in this area is the fleet-wide rollout of a specific digital data collection and analysis tool, developed within the Carnival Group and launched in 2024. The tool supports the crew in near-real-time decisionmaking about how to operate each ship most efficiently by optimising the energy flows onboard, or calculating the route to the next port with the lowest fuel consumption. Initial usage shows immediate savings in the energy required for propulsion and other onboard systems, such as air conditioning. “Our fuel consumption on a newbuild like AIDAcosma is around one-third today of what it was for a ship commissioned 20 years ago,” says Eichhorn. “Only a few industries can achieve that.” Many of these achievements have been made with the help of the Fleet Operations Centre (FOC), which was established in 2015 as a maritime service unit and is part of Carnival Maritime. “With this significant investment, we have installed the most modern and innovative centre of its kind in Germany,” says Eichhorn. “With the new hardware and advanced software tailored to our specific maritime needs, we are setting new standards in the cruise industry.” The FOC uses a satellite-based, near-real-time monitoring system to collect millions of data points from 31 ships sailing for Carnival Corporation’s European brands – including 11 AIDA vessels – every day. It then analyses the data using digital algorithms, providing insights so crew can adjust the course of the voyage if necessary to suit the current conditions in the sailing area and optimise operations for maximum guest comfort. Digital analysis also identifies potential opportunities to significantly reduce carbon dioxide AIDAluna was the first cruise ship to connect to shore power in Norway’s Port of Oslo Photo: Port of Oslo
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=