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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

July 2013 Edition

AIDA - Construction commencess on the first of two new Japanesse built ships.

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) began construction at its Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works on 30 June of the first of two 124,500 gross ton new generation cruise ships for AIDA Cruises, part of Carnival Corporation & plc group, MHI said in a statement.

"Among the features already selected for installation is the "Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System" (MALS), MHI's proprietary technology that reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through use of a layer of air bubbles blown from the vessel's bottom. MALS is expected to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 7%," the shipyard said.

Other advanced technologies are also slated to be added to the ships' installations, with details to be announced later.

The ship now under construction is the first of two vessels ordered by Carnival group member Costa Crociere Group; parent company of AIDA. Each has passenger capacity of around 3,300 with gross tonnage of 124,500 - making them the largest ever constructed for AIDA Cruises. The second ship is scheduled for delivery in March 2016. The two new AIDA ships marks the order to follow the 116,000 gross ton ships for Carnival's Princess Cruises brand – Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess – delivered in 2004 at MHI Nagasaki Shipyard.

In constructing the two new generation cruise ships for AIDA, MHI will bring together its full complement of shipbuilding technologies accumulated to date. Leveraging this latest order, the company will continue its aggressive marketing initiatives to attract orders for large-size ships equipped with leading-edge technologies to reduce fuel consumption and ease environmental impact.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands. In total the group now operates 102 ships, and 7 new vessels are scheduled to join the fleet by 2016.