Carnival Maritime and Wessels Reederei have entered a cooperation agreement to provide practical training at sea on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containership.
AIDA Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corporation, will launch a new vessel, the ADIAnova, at the end of the year. It will be the first cruise ship to run on LNG. To prepare AIDA’s captains and officers for operating an LNG-powered vessel under real conditions at sea, 30-day on-board training sessions will take place on the WES Amelie.
A training record book will be kept throughout to document the skills acquired. The participants will also take part in a bunker procedure and an emergency drill. In addition, Carnival Maritime’s landside ship superintendents will complete training courses with Wessels.
Christian Hoepfner of Wessels Reederei said: “We are very happy to be helping Carnival Maritime by providing our valuable insight and experience in the operation of LNG vessels. Safe handling of LNG is a key aspect of the introduction of LNG as a maritime fuel. By contributing our expertise, we hope to make the use of LNG more widespread, which will also help to further roll out LNG bunker infrastructure.”
As well as the training courses, Carnival Maritime has a cooperation with LNG supplier Shell. Officers will undergo intensive LNG Management Level Training at the Center for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART) in Almere in the Netherlands. In the next five years, the Costa Group plans to commission five LNG cruise ships, and Carnival Maritime will be providing the relevant training courses for the crews.
Caroline Baumgärtner, director maritime training Carnival Maritime added: “The purpose of practical training is not just to build knowledge, but also to gain confidence in handling the technology and develop safety awareness when using LNG. I am very grateful to Wessels Reederei for their excellent and unbureaucratic support. This cooperation is very valuable for our company and our crews.”
AIDA Captain Vincent Cofalka, who has already completed his training course, commented: “To experience hands-on what LNG operations are like on board the WES Amelie was a valuable opportunity, and the support provided by the team on board was tremendous. I would like to thank everyone, also on behalf of my colleagues, for their patience and their untiring willingness to share their knowledge.”
