AIDAsol in Helsinki, 9. July 2012

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

Helsinki is looking very autumnal these days and yesterday marked the second-to-last cruise visit of the year with CMV's Marco Polo (the very last will be Fred. Olsen's Black Watch in late November - the first time to my knowledge that the cruise season has extended that far). Photographs of the Marco Polo's visit will be forthcoming, but in keeping with posting photos in chronological order, today's subject is the AIDAsol. In keeping the other recent posts, these photos were taken from Sisä-Hattu as the AIDAsol departed Helsinki West Harbour. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

As I have undoubtedly mentioned before, I'm not a fan of the latest Aida ships' looks. But there surroundings make any ship look good. ;)

How I managed to get almost the entire photo into focus I do not know, as I was actually using a fairly large aperture.

Foreground rocks, part 1.

And part 2.

Next time: Seven Seas Voyager (or alternatively the recent Marco Polo shots).

AIDAsol in Helsinki, 6 May 2012

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

AIDAsol had the honour of opening the summer cruise season in Helsinki this year - which in itself is somewhat unusual, as usually it has been Hurtigruten's Fram that has opened the season (or before the Fram, other Hurtigruten ships that were used for cruising during the winter off-season). This also meant that unusually the cruise season opened in the West Harbour, not the South Harbour.

We had been enjoying nice sunny spring weather recently - except in the afternoon of 6 May, which meant the AIDAsol departed in overcast weather and the images required some work to be presentable. Whether or not they are acceptable is up to you to judge.

Click on the images to see in larger size.

AIDAsol in decided un-solly weather.

In our ongoing series of "Crap in the Foreground", rocks. The water level was unusually low, hence the relatively large amount of green in the form of seaweed.

The sky looked brilliant, but it was a lot of trouble trying to make the ship stand out from the photo without losing the sky.

Past Pihlajasaari, with some brave soul out sailing - the weather was not exactly warm either, and I suspect the experience of sailing was rather unpleasant.

AIDAsol in Helsinki, 3 August 2011

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

AIDAsol is the fifth ship in AIDA Cruises seven-ship Sphinx class, delivered in 2011. I don't really have anything else to say about her. The photos below show the AIDAsol departing from Helsinki West Harbour on 3 August 2011, photographed from the small Sisä-Hattu island. Click on the individual images to see in larger size.

3 August was a busy day, with four different cruise ships in port. This strategically selected image of the AIDAsol departing hides the Norwegian Sun and Superstar strategically behind the AIDAsol (though you can see the exhausts from the Norwegian Sun if you look carefully).

I'm puzzled by the vast windowless expanse on the superstructure below the blue stripe. What could be worth sacrificing so much well-placed superstructure space? (Galleys, presumably).

Passing Pihlajasaari. Notice the reflection of the sun reflecting on water on the midship "bowl" window.

The shape of the Sphinx-class' aft superstructure is interesting - when you look at the ship from bow-on, it looks like a similar wedge-shape as on the previous-generation AIDA ships. But seen from this direction, it doesn't look like that at all.