The world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cruise ship, AIDAnova, was christened on August 31 at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg.
The spectacular naming ceremony took place at the completely sold-out AIDA Open Air at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, attended by 25,000 spectators. The highlight of the evening was the biggest solo headline show by star DJ / producer David Guetta.
“AIDAnova’s naming ceremony was a special event in a special place: We are delighted that we were able to stage the AIDA Open Air in Papenburg at the Meyer Werft shipyard, so that we could share our enthusiasm about our new ship with so many people. At the same time, this event was a thank-you to our partners, to the Meyer Werft shipyard, and to the many thousands of people who have helped make AIDAnova what is already the eighth AIDA cruise ship to be built on the Ems,” said AIDA President Felix Eichhorn.
AIDAnova was imposingly illuminated with lighting and laser effects in front of the shipyard hall in Papenburg, and an impressive laser show brought the ship to life. The 20 multicolored laser projectors, over 300 strobes and more than 100 floodlights and spotlights made the ship glitter and shine. Aqua acrobats ascended with their luminous flyboards to a height of 20 meters, gliding across the surface of the water, and creating fountains in the air with their amazing stunts.
Another novelty at the naming ceremony: For the first time it was not just one godmother who named the ship but rather an entire family: Sonja (31), Asad (33) Mirza, and their children Sophia (2) and Adrian (3) from Hanau. Mother Sonja spoke the blessing.
“Dear Godchild, You are very welcome to the AIDA family. You bring the whole word together in a single place, and you will make many guests of all ages happy. We name you AIDAnova and hope you, your guests and your crew will always enjoy smooth sailing, fair winds and following seas.”
The hand of godmother Sonja hit the buzzer and the champagne bottle shattered against the bow. A laser wave effect brought a smile to the AIDAnova lips, and made the eye wink. After that, fireworks lit up the sky above AIDAnova in golden colors before the evening’s highlight concert started.
AIDAnova is the world’s first cruise ship that can be powered by low-emission liquefied natural gas (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.
