Delivery of AIDAdiva in 2007 Papenburg, 03.03.2006 - This Friday, the keel-laying ceremony for the first of three club ships of AIDA Cruises (Rostock) took place in Papenburg. The winner of the AIDA name contest, Sabine Mattenheimer from Bavaria, who works for a travel agency, laid the traditional lucky penny under the first of a total of 55 blocks. The first steel block for the ship having the yard number S. 659 weighs approx. 450 t, is 32.2 m wide, 6.9 m high and 16 m long. Delivery of the new club ship for AIDA is scheduled for the spring of 2007. On the occasion of this event, which was attended by many guests, AIDA Cruises also disclosed the name of this first ship. "We are pleased that we, as a German shipyard, can implement this newbuilding project for a German cruise operator and German passengers," said Bernard Meyer, Meyer Werft's CEO and managing partner. AIDAdiva will be the name of the new ship in the fleet. She will be the first ship in a series of three that will be built for the most successful cruise operator in Germany. The ships will have a length overall of 252 m, a breadth of 32.2 m, and a tonnage of 68,500gt. 2,030 passengers can be accommodated in 1,015 cabins. The other two newbuildings will follow in the spring of 2008 and spring of 2009. Four large diesel engines made by MaK will generate a total output of approx. 50,000 hp. The service speed of the ship will be almost 22 knots.