Feb. 9 marked the official start of the 2010 cruise season with the christening of the AIDAblu. According to media reports, tens of thousands of locals and numerous onlookers who had come to Hamburg especially for the event followed the ceremony at Hamburg’s Fischmarkt.
The Port of Hamburg had already welcomed the AIDAblu, the seventh ship in the AIDA fleet, on Feb. 5. The wintery temperatures and the ice-covered River Elbe provided the appropriate setting for the christening’s motto “When fire meets ice.”
The AIDAblu was officially greeted in Hamburg with a celebratory ceremony on board the ship on Feb. 8. In keeping with tradition Harbourmaster Hans-Jörg Pollmann of the Hamburg Port Authority presented an admiralty plaque to the captain of the AIDAblu, Captain Dr. Friedhold Hoppert.
“Godmother” Jette Joop, jewellery designer, smashed a bottle on the ship’s bows and wished the new vessel “God speed and bon voyage.” Joop will also continue to maintain a close relationship with the AIDA fleet, as she will be designing uniforms for the shipping company.
(www.atlanticalliance.eu)