''AIDAprima'' is the flagship of

AIDA Cruises AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Costa Crociere S.p.A., which in turn belongs to Carnival Corporation & plc. Based in Rostock, Germany, AIDA Cruises caters primaril ...

, built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding at their shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan. The

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

entered service on April 25, 2016, after suffering several construction delays. She is the first AIDA vessel not to be built in

Meyer Werft Meyer Werft (; ) is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems. It was founded in 1795, as a builder of small wooden vessels. It has been owned and managed by the Meyer family for seven generations. Since ...

since the completion of '' AIDAaura'' in 2003. She is also the first Carnival Corporation & plc vessel to be built in Mitsubishi since the completion of the '' Sapphire Princess'' in 2004.

History

Originally, the vessel was planned for delivery in the first half of 2015, with an inaugural trip to 22 countries, but the shipbuilder was unable to complete the vessel on time and the delivery was postponed to December 2015 after several minor accidents during construction. The ship was christened on 7 May 2016 in Hamburg, Germany as part of the 827th Hamburg Port Anniversary ( Hafengeburtstag). The ship's godmother is

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

Emma Schweiger. In September 2017, AIDAprima was one of the guests at the Hamburg Cruise Days and a part the Blue Port light show.

Design

''AIDAprima'' has an overall length of , moulded beam of , and maximum draft of . The vessel has a capacity of 3,300 passengers and 900 crew members. ''AIDAprima'' has 18 passenger decks, 15 dining options, indoor and outdoor pools, as well as shops, cafes, and bars. The AIDA Beach Club pool area, which is covered by a transparent UV-permeable membrane dome, allows passengers to relax in a beach setting with natural light despite inclement weather. The Four Elements features the longest indoor

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

on a cruise ship, a rock climbing wall, and a

lazy river "(Up A) Lazy River" is a popular tune and song by Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin, published in 1930. The melody is by Arodin, arranged and with words modified by Carmichael. It is considered a jazz standard and pop standard, and has ...

. At night, the Beach Club serves as a

discotheque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

, with stars or laser shows projected onto the dome.

Engineering

''AIDAprima'' is driven by three MaK 12VM43C diesel engines and one MaK 12VM46DF dual-fuel ( LNG/ oil) engine, which give 53,150 hp to the propulsion system. The engine has computer-controlled fuel injection to increase fuel economy. The ship is propelled by ABB Azipod XO units, which allows a service speed of 22 kts. The ''AIDAprima'' uses

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the prede ...

's proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which releases small air bubbles to cover the bottom of the vessel, reducing the friction between the hull and the surrounding water. This is predicted to reduce CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption by more than 7%. In 2020, the vessel underwent an upgrade, incorporating a 9,944 kWh Orca ESS battery system from Corvus Energy. This system serves the purpose of peak shaving, effectively minimizing peak electrical demand on the vessel. This not only helps reduce maintenance costs for the engines but also contributes to a decrease in CO2 emissions. Has the option to plugin whilst in port (and turnoff the engines) an option known as cold ironing

References

External links

AIDAprima Cruise Ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:AIDAprima Ships of AIDA Cruises 2014 ships Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries