AIDA Prima, the First CAT/MAK Engine 12M46DF for Marine Application

sty 18, 2018

A trip on the new AIDA Prima can be recommended by the Vienna Safety team! The installed CAT/MAK 12M46 DF engines as well the exhaust duct systems are protected, "state of the art" with HOERBIGER Explosion Relief valves. A witness inspection on board was carried out from our colleague Dominik Suess, last year!

AIDAprima is a new cruise ship built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the German cruise operator AIDA Cruises. MHI was awarded a contract to build two new-generation cruise ships for AIDA Cruises in August 2011. The ship was delivered in March 2016 and was christened in May 2016. The second vessel, Aida Perla, was delivered in April 2017.

AIDAprima has a length of 300m, width of 37.6m and a draft of 8m. Classified under the DNV GL class, the gross tonnage of the cruise ship is 124,500t. The max. cruising speed is 22 knots (41 km/h). The cruise ship is designed for a capacity of max. 3.300 passengers, servered by 900 crew members.The new cruise liner has a variety of dining options, including 13 restaurants and 18 bars. It features some classical dining options, such as the Markt Restaurant, Bella Donna and the Fuego buffet family restaurant, and service restaurants such as French Kiss and Casa Nova serving French and Mediterranean cuisines respectively.

The cruise ship is fitted with three MaK 12V M43C main diesel engines and one MaK M46DF dual-fuel marine engine, burning gas, marine diesel oil or heavy fuel oil. AIDAprima is the first Marine project for the CAT/Mak M46DF engine. Gas and dual-fuel marine engines continue to gain popularity thanks to their flexibility, lower fuel costs and lower emissions compared to diesels. But alongside these advantages, gas engines bring the risk of explosions in their inlet and outlet manifolds and their exhaust ducts. An explosion in a duct 1.5m in diameter and 40 m long, as found on the largest marine engines, can be very serious. Therefore additional safety protection systems are required.

CAT/Mak headquarted in Kiel (GER) is a traditional customer of HOERBIGER Ventilwerke Vienna, supplying the standard crankcase relief valves for their MaK Diesel engines. Beside of the standard crankcase relief valves, HOERBIGER Explosion relief valves type EVT protect the inlet- and outlet manifold in case of back- or misfire of the MaK M46DF engine. Additional the whole exhaust duct behind the DF-engine is protected by HOERBIGER relief valves type EVM.

The correct installation on the ship of the complete HOERBIGER Safety system was inspected by our colleague Dominik Süss in April this year. So you can start your vacation trip at AIDAprima relaxed!