Innovative technology

The best tonne of fuel is the tonne that we don’t use. An AIDA ship today consumes just three liters of fuel per person over 100 kilometers – that’s substantially less than an automobile. This was confirmed in a report by independent experts from Germanischer Lloyd. Since 1990, we have cut fleet fuel consumption by 70%. Fuel consumption per guest and per voyage has been reduced by 18.2% since 2007.

For a long time, we have been cruising many routes at a considerably lower speed. This represents another way of saving larger amounts of fuel. Furthermore, efficient route management and the optimization of scheduling and laytime are also methods of saving substantial amounts of fuel. Propulsion power can also be saved by improved hull and propeller design. Furthermore, all AIDA ships have an underwater silicone-based coating. This reduces drag during the voyage, thus also cutting down on fuel consumption and emissions. It goes without saying that this paint is free from polluting toxins. The silicone paint alone allowed us to make propulsion fuel savings of around 3% on our ships last year.

On average, AIDA ships spend 40% of their operating time in port. They must also have a power supply there so that onboard operations can continue.

In port, shoreside power can represent an environmentally friendly option, as where it is used, fuel no longer needs to be burned for power generation on board. We support ports which are genuinely creating possibilities for a shoreside power supply. We are currently in negotiations with the Hanseatic city of Hamburg to encourage it to press ahead with the use of shoreside power technology in its port.

Today, all ships in the AIDA fleet that were put into service from 2007 on have been prepared for supply with shoreside power during laytime. However, if shoreside power is to be used on AIDA ships, it is essential that its generation be cleaner than generation with the modern systems on board the ships themselves. We do not use power generated by coal-fired or nuclear power plants.

One of the biggest challenges in environmental protection is air pollution – for example through emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. In order to avoid harmful emissions even more effectively in future, we are committed to developing alternative methods of power generation and utilization in maritime transport, and we invest in new technologies. Examples of investment projects include the LNG Hybrid Barge, the MALS technology, dual-fuel engines and the preparation of our ships for shoreside power.

Further measures such as friction-reducing underwater coats and cutting-edge propulsion technologies have also contributed to the 70% reduction in fuel consumption by our fleet since 1990 – as have numerous energy-saving solutions in the hotel and restaurant areas. It has been proven that cruise ships are one of the most efficient means of transport with regard to CO2 emissions. Per person, a cruise ship emits around six times less CO2 than an automobile.

Prof. Dr. Ing. Holger Watter from the Maritime Center at Flensburg University of Applied Sciences is a renowned expert in sustainable power systems. He says: “Just 3% of CO2 emissions are generated by maritime shipping and travel. Ships are the most efficient means of transporting goods and people. They have emissions rates that are a fraction of those of other methods of transport (automobile, train, airplane). Maritime “power stations” achieve degrees of efficiency that are above those of shoreside stations.” Furthermore, cruise ships also provide hotel accommodation, catering and infrastructure for leisure activities, as well as simply transport. These additional services are included in the evaluation of power use.

We are continually reducing our sulfur emissions through the increased use of low-sulfur fuels. Since 2007, we have only been using low-sulfur fuels as a matter of course, in line with the legal regulations for the North and Baltic Seas. In all European ports since 2010, engines have been operating exclusively on diesel with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%. We have been doing this in the Port of Hamburg since 2007. Sulfur emissions have thus been cut by 90%. This is a tangible result. Our motors can already process high-quality fuels such as low-sulfur HFO and marine gasoil (marine diesel).

Nonetheless, low-sulfur fuel is not available everywhere. According to experts from the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), demand cannot yet be met today. Therefore, the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decided to introduce a plan that will be phased in gradually. Refineries will have to update their equipment in order to be able to produce the required amounts. We support this phased plan. In line with this plan, we have also been using fuel with a low sulfur content of maximum 1.0% along the coast of North America since August 2012. From 2015, we will meet the prescribed thresholds for emissions in the Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) through the use of filter technology or marine diesel. The area covered by the SECAs includes the North and Baltic Seas and a zone of 200 nautical miles in North America.

Overall, we are steering the right course in terms of environmental and climate protection. This is made clear by our key indicators for energy.

With the launch of our ninth ship, AIDAmar, in 2012, the overall energy consumption of our fleet appears higher than in 2011. However, if the new addition to our fleet is evaluated in the context of our largest ship class, then energy consumption remains the same as the previous year. In terms of increasing environmental friendliness, one major advance we made was in the use of alternative fuels – low-sulfur heavy fuel oil and gasoil with substantially reduced sulfur content.

Water consumption per guest and per day was also further reduced in 2012 in comparison to the previous year. Whilst in 2011, 237.9 liters were consumed per guest per day, in 2012, only 233.7 liters were consumed per guest per day.

As a member of the Carnival Corporation, we are intensively following developments in technologies for exhaust gas purification in order to eliminate harmful substances as completely as possible from the exhaust gas from our ships’ funnels. Technologies include scrubbers and diesel particle filters.

Scrubbers clean the sulfur emissions from the funnel’s exhaust gas. The disadvantage of these systems? They require much energy and space. The latter issue makes retrofitting them on a cruise ship almost impossible. Furthermore, in any case the treatment leaves a residue, which generally has to be discharged as hazardous waste – and as yet there is not a sufficient network of disposal companies who are equipped for this.

Within the Carnival Group, we have been working intensively for years on developing a filter solution that is as comprehensive as possible. To date, tried and tested filter solutions that eliminate both diesel particle matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) do not exist in practice. In addition to the technological requirements, a particle filter also requires a certain amount of space on board. To date, it has not been possible to simply retrofit a filter. Furthermore, clarification is also required on where and how the filtered particle matter can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. At AIDA, our objective is to implement a comprehensive solution as quickly as possible. We are convinced that a holistic solution is best for the environment.

Systematic waste management on board is standard practice at AIDA. We are proud to separate almost 100% of our waste. All waste is presorted and compacted on board, and disposed of ashore, in line with up-to-date standards. Metal and glass are broken down and pressed to save storage space. Food waste is also compacted and then dehydrated. The result is a biologically degradable substance that is then handed over to shoreside waste disposal companies, carefully selected by us. In order to ensure that waste is disposed of correctly, our environmental officers visit the waste management companies on site and carry out company audits and inspections in the ports. This allows us to monitor the processing and whereabouts of our waste. If our environmental officers find out that waste disposal companies are not complying with the agreed standards, we immediately impose specific conditions on them. If they do not meet these requirements, we contract out to a new company or select another port for disposal.

But however well our waste management system works, it is of course even better to generate as little waste as possible. That is why we’re working on significantly reducing our waste generation per guest and per day.

We have switched to using various water-saving applications, including special shower heads, flow regulators on wash hand basins and showers, and timer switches and infrared control in washroom areas. This has allowed us to make continual reductions in the amount of water consumed per person in recent years. Our research shows that AIDA has the lowest per capita consumption in the entire cruise industry. A vacuum system is used to operate toilet flushing. This saves water, meaning that only one liter of water is used per flush. In 2012, we made further reductions to our fresh water consumption.

We have also installed a vacuum food waste system on our Sphinx series ships. This uses considerably less water than conventional food waste disposal systems. That’s because instead of the waste being pumped through pipes with water, we transport it to the waste storage tank using a vacuum system.

As well as protecting the environment and the climate, we are also committed to preserving biodiversity. We want to protect fragile ecosystems and prevent micro-organisms from spreading beyond their native waters. That’s why the latest addition to our fleet, the AIDAstella, is now our first ship with a ballast water treatment system. Different organisms are regularly carried in the ballast water which serves to stabilize vessels at sea. These can include plankton and other micro-organisms, which are then released when the ballast water is discharged. The challenge lies in making sure that species and organisms which are taken on with the seawater are not transferred to other ecosystems. If they are, there is the risk that they will establish themselves in the new ecosystem, proliferating and threatening native species. Treating ballast water makes it possible to prevent the unwanted transfer of these organisms in future.

Ballast water is necessary to keep a vessel stable during its voyage. The ballast water treatment system on the AIDAstella complies with the IMO D-2 standard for ballast water treatment and destroys bacteria without the use of UV rays. That means that no harmful waste is produced.