Ship traffic: AIDA relies again on diesel
For economic reasons, the cruise company does not use LNG to supply its ships. But what if the green future of shipping actaully lies in other environmentally friendly propulsion technologies?
With the increasing awareness that our mobility decisions - be it on the road, in the air or on water - have a significant impact on the planet, not only road vehicles will reach new limits in terms of environmental protection and will be replaced by more ecological alternatives . The world of maritime transport is also changing. A so-called SECA zone, an environmental zone at sea, should reduce and control sulfur emissions in the Mediterranean region from 2025, for example. What follows? More and more shipping companies are researching and investing in making their ships more sustainable. Including the German cruise brand AIDA.
The German branch of the Italian Costa Crociere - and part of the world's largest cruise company "Carnival Corporation & plc" - had worked together with the shipbuilding company Meyer Werft on the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on some ships. In 2018 the shipyard had built the "Nova", the world's first LNG-powered ship - followed by the Cosma in 2021. Now it seems that the two cruise ships will return to their older diesel engines. A surprising development that puts the shipbuilding company in a bad light.
"The shipyard had promised advanced technology with the LNG ships, but now they are "dirt slingshots" again," said Eckehard Stammwitz, spokesman for the "Save the Ems" citizens' initiative. However, according to Meyer Werft, the company from Pappenburg had nothing to do with the conversion to diesel engines. However, it is an economic decision by the shipping company. The prices for liquefied natural gas have increased exponentially since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. According to the shipyard, it also wants to work on greener drives.
Whether LNG engines are really the best way to a clean future of shipping, however, remains in question. According to the Nature Conservation Union (NABU), LNG ships emit 20 percent less CO2 than diesel-powered ships. But they are responsible for increased methane emissions - which is considered 80 times more harmful to the climate. Which climate-friendly alternatives will then remain for the shipyard industry? The future maritime environmental zone will certainly dictate the rules of the game for all ships in the Mediterranean - in the hope that shipping will also enter the age of green mobility transition.