On September 21, 2017, an AIDAnova module was released into the water for the first time at the Neptun shipyard in Rostock, which belongs to the Meyer Group. This is the first of two floating parts, so-called Floating Engine Room Units (FERU), which was placed onto the Warnow river with a special lowering device. The complex module stretching over 120 meters long and 42 meters wide, as well as three decks high, is carrying the four dual-fuel engines by Caterpillar and hence the heart of AIDAnova.

AIDAnova is the first cruise ship in the world, which – beginning in the fall of 2018 – will be able to operate both in ports and at sea with the most environmentally friendly and lowest-emission fossil fuel thanks to the operation of four dual-fuel engines. By using LNG, emissions of fine dust and sulfur oxides are almost completely prevented and emissions of nitrogen oxides and CO2 are permanently reduced.

The shipment of the first AIDAnova module from Rostock to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg is scheduled to take place from September 25–28, 2017, depending on the weather conditions. It’s time to set sail as planned next Monday, September 25, 2017, at 10.00 am at the Neptun shipyard in Rostock with a course set for the Kiel Fjord. In the early morning hours of September 26, 2017, around 7.00 am, the floating part will begin the passage through the Kiel Canal from Kiel to Brunsbuttel. After a twelve-hour journey, the floating module will arrive in Brunsbüttel on September 26, 2017, at around 7 pm. From Borkum, it will carry on towards Emden with an expected arrival time of 9.00 am on September 27, 2017. The last passage will take the part from Emden to Papenburg, where the four dual-fuel engines will arrive around 7 pm on September 28, 2017.

With the construction of the engine room modules at the Neptun shipyard in Rostock and the investment in Caterpillar engines, AIDA Cruises not only strengthens regional cooperation but is also a key driver of the local economy. More than 500 shipyard workers and 500 external employees from other service providers are currently employed at the Neptun shipyard. In addition, there are 120 Caterpillar employees, who are assembling the engines.

Starting in December 2018, AIDAnova will offer cruises around the Canary Islands. Before the start of the Canary season, the new ship will make a stop in Hamburg. On December 2, 2018, the new ship will visit the Hanseatic City on the Elbe. From here, it will set off towards Gran Canaria.