AIDAperla Receives Corvus Battery System

Carnival Corporation's Germany brand AIDA Cruises and Corvus Energy have signed a deal to retrofit the AIDAperla with a 10MW battery pack, the largest to date set to be featured on a cruise vessel.

"The order is for a 10MWh Energy Storage System (ESS) to be installed on board AIDAperla in 2020.  AIDAperla, built in 2017, has the capacity of 3300 passengers and a crew of 900," said the British Columbia-based developer of maritime energy storage solutions.

When installed on AIDAperla, battery storage system can electrify ship's propulsion and operations - another major advancement in corporation's innovative "green cruising" strategy, it said.

“Corvus Energy is an important partner for us,” said AIDA President, Felix Eichhorn. In August, AIDA Cruises announced that it will partner with Corvus Energy to provide batteries for their cruise vessels for both zero-emission sailing and low-emissions hybrid operation with peak shaving.

"We believe in a combination of different fuels, power and efficiency gains in order to reduce our carbon footprint. The integration of innovative battery technology into our ‘Green Cruising Strategy’ is an important step we are taking on our path towards emission neutral ship operation. We are very happy to be teaming up with Corvus Energy for this project," Felix added.

Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy is very pleased to have entered into the partnership and to have signed the first contract with AIDA. “We are deeply honoured to be selected by AIDA and Costa Cruises as their ESS supplier. This first contract for AIDAperla is also very special. It is not only the largest battery pack ever ordered; it is also the first regular cruise vessel with battery on board” said Bjørkeli.

“The cruise industry is seeing the potential in energy storage as the benefits are numerous—not only for emission reductions, but also for comfort and safety reasons,” Bjørkeli added. “What AIDA does, will lead the way for others. We are impressed by the initiatives shown by Costa and AIDA Cruises to reduce the emissions from their fleet.

Halvard Hauso, EVP Sales and Marketing in Corvus Energy explains that more cruise companies will follow.