To mark the 30th anniversary of Aida Cruises, three cruise ships set sail together from the port of Hamburg. The parade on the Elbe formed part of the Rostock-based cruise line’s anniversary programme.
Aida Cruises celebrated its 30th anniversary with a ship parade in the port of Hamburg. The “Aidaprima”, the “Aidaperla” and the “Aidasol” sailed past the Landungsbrücken and the Überseebrücke together.
First, the 300-metre-long “Aidaprima” sailed past the harbour and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall to the Amerikahöft, where she turned around. The identical “Aidaperla” then cast off from the Steinwerder terminal, turned in the outer harbour and manoeuvred back towards the “Aidaprima”. The 253-metre-long “Aidasol” left the terminal in Altona, also turned in the outer harbour and joined the other two ships. The three vessels then proceeded down the Elbe at a distance of around 120 m from one another. They were accompanied by tugs and other boats.
30 years and 17 million guests on board
Aida Cruises was founded 30 years ago. Today, the fleet comprises eleven ships with a total of more than 15,000 cabins. According to the company, 17 million guests have been on board since then. The ships have called at 478 ports in 120 countries. Aida currently employs 18,000 people from 60 nations, including around 1,300 at its headquarters in Rostock. Aida has been part of the US shipping group Carnival since April 2003. Previously, the shipping company with the distinctive kissing mouth was part of P&O Princess Cruises. The merger and takeover of P&O Princess Cruises by Carnival in 2003 created today’s Carnival Group.
For Hamburg, the shipping company points to the importance of the location. According to HPA boss Jens Meier, every second cruise passenger in Hamburg travels on Aida ships. Last year, the shipping company recorded 124 calls in the Hanseatic city. According to Meier, each call by a cruise ship generates up to €2.7 million in regional added value.
Aida President Felix Eichhorn also held out the prospect of further technical developments in connection with the anniversary. According to the company, the next generation of ships will be equipped with multi-fuel propulsion systems. The engines should be able to use LNG and at the same time be prepared for future biofuels and e-fuels.
