AIDA Cruises and Atmosfair Present Climate Protection Program for Cruises

March 17, 2015 /3BL Media/ - On the occasion of the ITB Berlin, AIDA Cruises and atmosfair are presenting a program that sets standards for climate protection in the still dynamically growing cruise industry. The program features direct reduction of CO2 ship emissions along with voluntary CO2 compensation for the cruises. 

Monika Griefahn, Chief Sustainability Officer at AIDA Cruises, says, “Climate protection is a central aspect of AIDA’s sustainability strategy. With the new program, we continue our course as pioneer in the industry. In addition to a perfect cruise experience, our customers rightly expect this commitment of us.” 

Mojib Latif, climate scientist and patron of atmosfair, is equally pleased about the new program: “The cruise industry has many options for actively promoting climate protection by reducing CO2 emissions. Innovations in fuels and propulsion systems offer enormous potential here. I am glad that AIDA has taken up recommendations made by atmosfair and that it is also willing to try out new approaches and technologies.”

Starting now, all AIDA guests can voluntarily book the CO2 compensation of their cruises at www.aida.de under MyAIDA. At the end of the “climate-conscious cruise,” each guest receives a personalized climate protection certificate and a donation receipt from atmosfair.

Through atmosfair climate protection projects, AIDA is now also compensating CO2 emissions from business travel by plane or rental car.

The climate protection partners aim to have 20% of guests voluntarily contribute to climate protection through CO2 compensation of their cruises by 2020. The proceeds will go to a biomass power plant in northern India, which produces green electricity from harvest residues for 40,000 households, saves 30,000 tons of CO2 annually, and contributes to the region’s development by offering new employment opportunities and income sources for farmers. 

Back in the summer of 2013, AIDA Cruises launched an additional investment program for utilizing state-of-the-art environmental technologies. The program features a multi-stage filter system for reducing emissions. Not only AIDA’s new ships to be put into service in 2015 and 2016 are receiving this technology. First ships in the existing fleet have also been fitted with this filter system; the rest will be gradually retrofitted.The two new AIDA ships are also the first cruise ships in the world to be fitted with dual-fuel engines. In addition to traditional ship fuels, these allow the use of liquefied natural gas, which emits 20% less CO2.

As part of the joint pilot project and for the supply of its cruise ships in the future, AIDA Cruises is testing the possibility of utilizing LNG that has been produced fully CO2-free through the power to gas method, and wind or solar power. Currently, the use of LNG is limited to ship docking times for regulatory reasons. If successful, this could be the beginning of CO2-free cruises.

Dietrich Brockhagen, Managing Director of atmosfair says, “What’s special about this joint climate protection program is the exemplary balance of the measures. The focus lies on technical innovations for the AIDA ships; the CO2 compensation is added to this. AIDA is setting standards here.”

AIDA Cruises publishes detailed information on its environmental projects in its annual sustainability report, AIDA cares (www.aida.de/aidacares).