Preserving biological diversity

We continuously expand our range of sustainable excursions and, for the last several years, have also been offering our guests excursions on which they can observe whales, dolphins and other species in their natural habitats. In offering these trips, we work together with selected providers who ensure that the animals are not disturbed by the tourists. Trained rangers inform our guests about species conservation during land excursions into natural environments. Visiting dolphinariums or riding elephants are not part of our excursion program, as we have come to the conclusion that in most establishments the animals are not kept in suitable conditions.

We moreover support the ban on trading illegal wildlife products, including those derived from endangered animal and plant species. There is consequently no place for threatened species in our culinary offerings.

Our parent company, the Carnival Corporation & plc, supports further projects and events that aim to preserve and promote the biodiversity of the world’s oceans. One such project is “Mapping Ocean Wealth” (MOW), which was launched in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy.

Ballast water serves to stabilize a ship. But at the same time, various organisms such as plankton and other microorganisms can also be picked up and subsequently released in other parts of the world where they can threaten native biodiversity. Since so-called permeate (treated wastewater) is generally used as ballast water on board AIDA ships, it is only rarely necessary to use sea water. Should we ever need to use sea water, we prevent these organisms from being deposited into other ecosystems by using a modern ballast water management system. This allows us to meet the standards of the IMO Ballast Water Convention. All of the new ships that have come into service since 2013 are moreover equipped with a modern system that can treat ballast water taken from the sea without using any chemicals.

Various different kinds of organisms settle on a ship’s hull. All AIDA ships are painted with an underwater coating which minimizes the growth of organisms on the underside of the ship. Furthermore, the hulls of our ships are cleaned on a regular basis. This not only reduces friction and fuel consumption, but also prevents foreign organisms from being deposited in the ocean. As part of a research project, in 2018 AIDAcara received an innovative underwater coating that is designed to prevent almost completely the build-up of organisms. A special measuring device was installed on AIDAbella to record the thrust power and a detailed analysis of the degree of fouling. The aim is to set the cleaning intervals more concisely based on these results.