In Rostock-Warnemünde today, Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, the Lord Mayor of the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock, Roland Methling, the president of AIDA Cruises Felix Eichhorn and the managing director of ROSTOCK PORT Jens A. Scharner signed a declaration of intent on the joint promotion of environmentally friendly and sustainable cruise shipping at the Rostock location. The central point of the agreement is the building of a shore power installation in RostockWarnemünde until the year 2020.
Cruise tourism is of particular importance to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We are proud that so many ships are calling at ports in our federal state and that Warnemünde is the main port of call for cruise vessels in Germany today. And we are very pleased to have the headquarters of AIDA Cruises as one of the major companies in the cruise industry here in Rostock, providing jobs “, Minister-President Manuela Schwesig stated at the signing. „We are signing a joint declaration on making it possible for cruise vessels to be provided with shore electricity at the port of Rostock in the future. I am certain that this is a good step. It will lead to even greater acceptance here in the city, especially in Warnemünde. And it is an important contribution towards greater sustainability in cruise tourism“.
„With our „Green Cruising“ strategy we are investing billions of Euro in a viable cruise market, both in the field of sustainable propulsion technologies such as using LNG or shore power and in the environmental management on board. The partnership that we have sealed today is an important milestone for the further development of sustainable cruise tourism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and for AIDA it is an important step on our way to a zero-emission cruise. Together we will further expand our long-standing successful cooperation with the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the city of Rostock and give an important signal not just in Germany but in the whole of Europe,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.
„Shipping must become more ecologically sustainable. Rostock as the most important German Baltic cruise port and headquarters of shipping companies is well advised to participate in setting modern standards in this regard. This top position can only be extended if we pay more attention to ecological topics too. Also, a shore power connection will contribute significantly to the acceptance of cruise shipping also on shore“, stated Lord Mayor Methling. „Insofar I thank all parties involved for their initiative and cooperation and I hope that this project will be implemented quickly“.
„ROSTOCK PORT is convinced that by investing in a shore power installation in Rostock-Warnemünde it will be possible to achieve a further significant reduction of the immissions of nitrogen oxides and fine particles during the time in port of cruise liners. We thank the federal state of MecklenburgVorpommern, the Hanseatic and University city of Rostock, the future user and initiator AIDA Cruises and the local advisory council of Warnemünde for their support and promotion of environmentally compatible and sustainable shipping at one of the most beautiful cruise shipping locations at the Baltic Sea”, said Jens A. Scharner, Managing Director of ROSTOCK PORT GmbH.