EMEA News
Green Group Praises AIDA's Adoption of LNG Bunkers
German green group Nature and Biodiversity Union (NABU) has praised Carnival's AIDA Cruises for its decisions to use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers.
NABU, known for its highly-critical annual assessment of cruise ships operating in European waters, gave AIDAnova a maximum score of four "Green Propellors" in its latest Cruise Ship Ranking 2018.
By comparison, the highest ranking vessel last year received a score of 1.5.
"For the first time, in 2018 a cruise ship with liquefied natural gas propulsion will set sail. The use of LNG reduces harmful air pollution significantly and residents of port cities and coastal areas will be allowed to breathe cleaner air," said Dietmar Oeliger, Head of Transport at NABU headquarters.
"It is praiseworthy, that AIDA stepped forward and chose less polluting technologies for their new ships. Now the competitors are also asked to step up and to invest in clean new ships. Nonetheless, all companies also need to find solutions for cleaning the exhaust gases of their existing fleets as these ships are still the most pressing pollution sources."
NABU's assessment of the other 75 vessels it ranked was somewhat less glowing; only six of those managed to avoid a score of zero, with the main beef being their use of HFO.
"It is scandalous that in 2018 there are still ships coming into the market which are built to use heavy fuel oil as fuel," said NABU CEO Leif Miller.
But for all the praise, NABU warned LNG bunkers are "not the salvation for the shipping industry" either.
"LNG brings no advantages regarding greenhouse gas reduction compared to diesel," said Oeliger, in reference to the recent study by NABU's umbrella organisation T&E who in June blasted Europe's investment in LNG bunkering as a "$22 billion distraction."
"Because of that the industry is asked to develop propulsion systems which not only reduce air pollution but which are also CO2 neutral."
Earlier this year the Shipping industry as a whole pledged to reduce its total annual GHG emissions at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008, and "as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible in this century."
