AIDA Cruises opened its modernized Fleet Operations Center (FOC) in Hamburg on September 2, 2024. The center, which serves as the first point of contact and support for its cruise ships, is the most modern and innovative center of its kind in Germany.
The FOC is part of Carnival Maritime GmbH (CMG) and provides round-the-clock support to cruise ships for eleven AIDA Cruises ships as well as 20 other ships of Carnival Corporation’s European cruise brands. The state-of-the-art center uses digital technology to monitor speed, weather, navigation data, and technical data from the ships’ engine rooms in near real-time, allowing the crew to optimize fuel and energy consumption, routes, water management, and logistics more efficiently.
Keith Dowds, Executive Vice President of CMG, said, “The combination of our experienced colleagues and state-of-the-art technologies ensures that we provide our ships with the best possible support around the clock. In addition to supporting regular operations, we can also simulate port entries under unusual weather conditions or ensure the most efficient routing.”
President of AIDA Cruises, Felix Eichhorn, and Dowds welcomed Dieter Janecek, the Federal Government Coordinator for the Maritime Industry and Tourism in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economy and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the grand opening where Eichhorn spoke to AIDA Cruises commitment to Hamburg and the investment in the FOC.
“Our Fleet Operations Center is unique of its kind in Germany. With our extensive investments in new hardware and state-of-the-art software tailored to our specific maritime needs, we are setting new standards in the cruise industry. The FOC team is available to our captains and officers around the clock, providing support with nautical and technical aspects. At the same time, this is a clear investment and a strong commitment to Hamburg as an important international maritime competence center.”
The FOC is nearly 2,700 square feet and is equipped with a 60-foot-wide and 5-foot-high video wall that displays all relevant information like weather, planned routes, radar images, protected zones, and current energy consumption. The center’s new “Tactical Table” and “Part Task Simulator” enable digital simulations for upcoming maneuvers and new routes.
The simulator has 150 port entries in its program and the bridge of a cruise ship can be added to the simulation as needed. With this open concept design, collaboration can happen between technical, nautical, port, guest operations, and environmental teams.