Kiel Reaches Historic Milestone: 4,000th Cruise Ship Call with AIDAnova and MSC Euribia

The history of cruise shipping in Kiel began in June 1974 with the inaugural docking of the Europa from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. This was a ship built in 1953, not the current MS Europa, which entered service in 1991. The historical vessel was decommissioned and scrapped in 1985. Thus, it took 51 years to reach the remarkable figure of 4,000 cruise ship calls.

In a press release issued by the PORT OF KIEL on June 27, 2025, the following statement was made:

The Port of Kiel acknowledges this significant milestone, which highlights over five decades of cruise development in the state capital. Today's double call by AIDAnova and MSC Euribia represents the culmination of this impressive history.

The Europa from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises was the first registered cruise ship to dock at Kiel's Bollhörnkai in June 1974. What began with just a few annual calls has since evolved into a success story. In 2023, the Port of Kiel surpassed the one-million mark for cruise passengers for the first time, establishing itself as one of Northern Europe's most popular cruise ports.

Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG, emphasized the significance of this anniversary: "The 4,000th cruise ship call in Kiel symbolically represents our strong development in the cruise business, as well as our decades-long, trusting partnerships with international shipping companies, targeted investments in our port infrastructure, and a clear course towards sustainable port operations."

Long-Standing Partnerships and Sustainable Development

AIDAnova and MSC Euribia, two frequent visitors to the Fjord, perfectly complete this special port milestone. Both vessels belong to shipping lines with whom the Port of Kiel maintains deep-rooted and close collaborations. Since the initial call of the MSC Rhapsody in 2005, 14 MSC Cruises vessels have docked in Kiel a total of 513 times. The MSC Euribia, one of the newest ships in their fleet, has chosen Kiel as its homeport during the summer months. The partnership between AIDA Cruises and the Port of Kiel dates back even further, to 1996. AIDAluna is among the cruise ships that have been most frequently stationed in Kiel. With 713 calls from 14 ships featuring the characteristic kiss-mouth design, AIDA Cruises is the shipping company with the most calls in Kiel. Furthermore, other renowned shipping lines such as TUI Cruises, Costa Crociere, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cunard, Phoenix Reisen, Hapag-Lloyd, and Plantours also value the excellent location and infrastructure of Kiel Port and have been regular guests for many years.

Shore Power as a Commitment to Sustainability

A strong signal for sustainable cruise tourism and the close cooperation with the Port of Kiel is the clear commitment of both MSC Cruises and AIDA Cruises to using shore power in Kiel. With its strategically advantageous position, continuously modernized terminal facilities, and consistent expansion of shore power infrastructure, the Port of Kiel offers ideal conditions for environmentally friendly ship handling. From autumn 2025, the Port of Kiel will be capable of supplying up to three cruise ships and four ferry ships simultaneously with shore power. This marks another significant step towards emissions-free port operations. Already last year, the use of shore power led to a reduction of approximately 62 percent in CO₂ emissions during cruise ship calls. The electricity supplied is exclusively certified European green electricity. The Port of Kiel has the ambitious but necessary goal of completely eliminating its CO₂ emissions by no later than 2030, thereby making an important contribution to the maritime energy transition.