The TUI Group will modernise its UK cruise operations through the acquisition of Splendour of the Seas from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The ship will be acquired by the Group’s subsidiary TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and chartered to the Group’s British cruise line Thomson Cruises. Splendour of the Seas is to be operated in the British market from Summer 2016. The vessel will replace Island Escape, currently operated by Thomson Cruises’ sister company Island Cruises, so that the overall UK fleet will continue to be comprised of five cruise ships. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Splendour of the Seas has a capacity of 1,830 passengers (double occupancy) and offers more than 900 cabins, nearly 40 percent of which have a balcony. The ship will be the largest vessel in the Thomson Cruises fleet. It was fully refurbished a few years ago. Following its integration in the fleet, Splendour of the Seas will be renamed.
"As already announced at our Annual General Meeting, we intend to continually modernise our fleet in the UK in the next few years. The acquisition of the Splendour of the Seas is the first step in this direction. We regard the cruise market as a growth market for our Group and intend to develop into one of Europe’s leading providers in this segment," said Sebastian Ebel, TUI Group CEO Platforms in charge of cruise operations.
The TUI Group currently has a fleet of 12 cruise ships via its subsidiaries TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten and Thomson Cruises. Mein Schiff 4 will be commissioned in the summer of this year. Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6 have already been ordered and will be delivered in 2016 and 2017.