Hanover/Hamburg, 3 July 2018

TUI Group: another expedition ship for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises / expansion of the growth segment of cruises

  • HANSEATIC spirit: a new ship for the luxury expedition segment 
  • Commissioning scheduled for 2021 
  • Adults-only ship with highest polar class rating PC6 for passenger ships

The TUI Group is increasing its presence in the strategic growth market of cruises. Hamburg-based TUI subsidiary, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, has added another HANSEATIC expedition ship to its fleet. HANSEATIC sprit will be joining the fleet in the second quarter of 2021. It has been agreed that no financial details will be disclosed. The supervisory board and executive committee of the world’s leading travel company gave the go-ahead for negotiations on the construction of the new ship in May in the context of the six-month figures for 2018.

The two current new expedition ships, HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, will be put into service in spring and autumn 2019. The entire Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet, including the three new expedition ships, the expedition ship Bremen and the luxury cruise ships Europa and Europa 2, will be owned by TUI Group in future.

The HANSEATIC spirit is also being built at the Norwegian Vard shipyard, which is owned by Vard Holdings Limited, an associate company of Italian Fincantieri Marine Group. Like HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, HANSEATIC spirit will be fitted with cutting-edge equipment and environmental technology. The ship is graded PC6, which is the highest polar class for passenger ships, so it can be used in the polar regions of Arctic and Antarctic, as well as on tropical routes such as the Amazon.

The TUI Group currently operates a fleet of 16 cruise ships via its subsidiaries Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, British Marella Cruises and the TUI Cruises joint venture.  

Further information about the new ship

  • luxury expedition segment
  • Adults-only
  • Ship data: 
    • Gross tonnage: 15,650
    • Length: 139 metres
    • Width: 22 metres
    • Draught: 5.6 metres
    • Passenger decks: 7
    • Cabins and suites: 120 
    • Maximum passenger capacity: 230 (199 on Antarctic expeditions and Spitzbergen routes)
    • Crew: approx. 175 members
    • High proportion of cabins with balconies
    • Restaurants: 3
    • Interior design: Oceanarchitects

About TUI Group

The TUI Group is one of the world's leading tourism groups and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, in the regulated market of the Lower Saxony Stock Exchange in Hanover and in the FTSE 250, an index of the London Stock Exchange. TUI Group offers its 19 million customers integrated services from a single source and forms the entire tourism value chain under one roof. The Group owns over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 16 cruise ships, ranging from the MS Europa and MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships in the HANSEATIC class to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships operated by Marella Cruises in the UK. The Group also includes Europe's leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms, for example for hotel-only or flight-only offers, five airlines with more than 130 modern medium- and long-haul aircraft and around 1,200 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels and cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in vacation destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a global tourism platform company.

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, environmental and social action is at the heart of our corporate culture. With projects in 25 countries, the TUI Care Foundation initiated by TUI focuses on the positive effects of tourism, on education and training and on strengthening environmental and social standards. In this way, it supports the development of vacation destinations. The globally active TUI Care Foundation initiates projects that create new opportunities for the next generation.