Dubai’s newest cruise hub has welcomed the first passengers of its 2022-2023 season.
Dubai Harbour, the city’s first dedicated cruise facility, welcomed more than 5,500 passengers into the city on Thursday.
Cruising from Germany on the maiden voyage of the AIDAcosma — a first-of-its-kind liquid natural gas or LNG powered ship — travellers docked in Dubai as the first port of call in the ship's new Orient itineraries, which also take in Abu Dhabi, Oman and Bahrain.
With more than 2,600 staterooms and 20 passenger decks, the 183,900 gross-tonne ship is the biggest in the German operator's fleet. Onboard, there are 17 restaurants and 23 lounges, a children's pool, water slides and an outdoor sports park.
The AIDAcosma is the first of 46 ship calls expected at Dubai Harbour this cruise season.
The purpose-built terminal is also the first in the region to act as a home port for two sustainably-powered ships — the AIDAcosma, and the soon-to-arrive Costa Toscana which also has LNG propulsion engines.
It's part of the facility's efforts to help pave the way for increasingly sustainable sailings as LNG is one of the cleanest-burning, non-electric marine fuels in the industry, capable of reducing a ship's emissions by up to 30 per cent.
“We are excited to return to Dubai Harbour — this time round with the maiden call of our youngest fleet member AIDAcosma,” said Alexander Ewig, senior vice president of marketing and sales at AIDA Cruises.
“Through AIDAcosma, we are continuing on our path to green cruising and are elated to be collaborating with Dubai Harbour to do so. We are sure our guests will have a great time, as they set sail on a tour of the Orient this winter 2022/2023, specifically at Dubai Harbour with its line-up of entertaining events and activities, alongside the magnificent Dubai skyline.”
Dubai Harbour sits just over 30km from Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central Airport. It's also within easy reach of the city’s world-famous attractions including Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and The Dubai Mall.
Abdulla Binhabtoor, chief portfolio management officer of Shamal Holding, the owner and curator of Dubai Harbour, said: “Today is a very special day for us. This is not only the first time we have an LNG-powered cruise ship making its way to the city, but also a new cruise season that we look forward to with renewed excitement and anticipation”.
The cruise season at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is also being extended into the summer months of 2023 for the first time, announced Binhabtoor, with ships scheduled to sail into the month of July.
“As we get ready to see full fleets get back in service, we believe there is great scope for extraordinary growth in the region. This includes more destinations, enhanced experiences and new types of cruise travellers,” he said.
The cruise terminals at Dubai Harbour offer an array of amenities and services for passengers and crew — from ample seating areas to currency exchange outlets, ATMs, cafes, retail and duty-free outlets, dedicated parking and taxi stands. All facilities are wheelchair-accessible and Wi-Fi is complimentary.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
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7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
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Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
