German shipyard Meyer Werft said on Thursday it has pushed back the delivery of the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled cruise ship AIDAnova. 

The vessel is owned by Carnival Corporation’s AIDA Cruises.

AIDA Cruises was previously scheduled to take over the giant LNG-fueled ship from the Meyer Werft shipyard on November 15, in Bremerhaven.

Meyer Werft said in its statement that the initial commissioning and testing of this prototype ship “is a great challenge” for the shipyard, the companies involved and AIDA Cruises.

“It is important to thoroughly test all systems and ensure smooth operation for the shipping company. The scheduling of these tests can unfortunately no longer be kept due to the current configuration status,” Meyer Werft said.

Therefore, the start of the first longer sea trials and thus the delivery of AIDAnova will be delayed, the shipyard said.

In a separate statement, AIDA Cruises said that, due to the delay, a number of preview cruises will not take place, but the LNG-powered ship is still on schedule to sail its maiden voyage on December 2 from Hamburg to the Canary Islands.

“Small fire”

Earlier this week, several local media reported that a small fire broke out onboard the LNG-powered ship in Groningen’s Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

The reports suggest that the fire was confined to one of the ship’s cabins and was quickly brought under control.

The AIDAnova was on Friday still located in Eemshaven.

LNG World News contacted AIDA Cruises’ media department via email to find out more details about the incident. A spokesperson from AIDA Cruises redirected us to contact Meyer Werft.

We did not receive a response from Meyer Werft by the time this article was published.

The AIDAnova has over 2,600 passenger cabins, with a gross tonnage of over 180,000, a length of 337 meters and a width of 42 meters.

It is the world’s first cruise ship that can be powered by LNG both at sea and in port.

Two further AIDA ships of this new generation will be built by 2023 – also at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg.

LNG World News Staff