Genoa- A few weeks after announcing the creation of its dedicated decarbonization department, the Costa Group, Europe's leading cruise operator with its two companies Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises, and a member of Carnival Corporation & plc, has taken a major step forward in its decarbonization strategy by announcing that it will start testing the usage of biofuel aboard one of its AIDA Cruises ships.
As part of its CO2 emissions reduction efforts, on July 21, 2022, AIDAprima became the first larger scale cruise ship to be bunkered with a blend of marine biofuel, which is made from 100 percent sustainable raw materials such as waste cooking oil, and marine gas oil (MGO) during its layover in Rotterdam. The cooperation partner is the Dutch biofuel pioneer GoodFuels. AIDAprima is currently sailing on seven-day voyages to the metropolises of Western Europe and to Norway from/to Hamburg.
The current project represents an important milestone of the Costa Group's decarbonization strategy, which includes testing technologies and processes to improve the efficiency of the existing fleet.
With the successful start of biofuel usage, it will be proven that gradual decarbonization is possible even on ships already in service. An important prerequisite to be able to use biofuels, however, is that it becomes widely available on an industrial scale and at marketable prices.
In addition to the use of biofuels, the Group's efforts also include the installation of the first fuel cell on board AIDAnova and the commissioning of what is currently the largest battery storage system in cruise shipping with a capacity of ten megawatt hours on board AIDAprima. Furthermore, the Costa Group is focusing on the expansion and increased use of shore power in ports where the shore-side infrastructure is available.
The Group had previously tested the use of regenerated biofuels in marine diesel engines together with research partners at the University of Rostock. Now the first roll-out has taken place in regular ship operations. The cooperation with GoodFuels is now to be developed on a long-term basis.
With these short-, medium- and long-term measures, Costa Group is making an active contribution towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal decarbonization objectives.
Over the years, Costa Group has been leading sustainable innovation for the whole industry by steadily introducing, first in the sector, new advanced technologies on board its ships and in new buildings. The company was the first to introduce LNG propulsion - the most advanced fuel technology available to reduce emissions -, with 4 ships being already in service in the Costa Group fleet. Moreover, the majority of the ships in the fleet are equipped with shore power capabilities to be zero emissions in ports, where this technology is available.
For more information:
Costa Cruises Press Office - tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it
Gabriele Baroni - Communication Director - mob. +39 3497668013 - baroni@costa.it
Rossella Carrara - VP Corporate Relations & Sustainability Costa Group - mob. +39 3497668005 rossella.carrara@costa.it
Davide Barbano - Media Relations Manager - mob. +39 334 6525216 - barbano@costa.it
COSTA GROUP 