Hamburg, 22 January 2019

TUI Cruises: Youngest and most environmentally friendly fleet continues to grow

New Mein Schiff 2 was delivered ahead of schedule today.

It is the sixth newbuild in six years: With the delivery of the new Mein Schiff 2, TUI Cruises has the youngest and most environmentally friendly cruise ship fleet worldwide. Wybcke Meier and Frank Kuhlmann, CEO and CFO of TUI Cruises, and Dr Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Turku Werft shipyard, signed the delivery documents yesterday. For the first time, the delivery ceremony did not take place in Turku in Finland, where the shipyard is located, but in Kiel. The new Mein Schiff 2 had left the shipyard in early January to berth at the port of Kiel on the Baltic Sea due to her delivery ahead of schedule and the Finnish winter: The final silicone painting of the hull’s underwater part of Mein Schiff 2 is not designed to withstand icy water.

Members of the Tourism Committee of the German Parliament and representatives of the Regional Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein were given the opportunity to explore the innovative environmental technologies and learn more about the details regarding the implementation of sustainable practices on the cruise ship at a presentation given by Wybcke Maier and on a guided tour with the Environmental Officer of the new Mein Schiff 2.

“The launch of the new Mein Schiff 2 marks the successful conclusion of our expansion through newbuilds. Our sixth vessel built by Meyer Turku does not only feature an impressive design, but also offers convincing “inner values”: Through the use of cutting-edge technology, we are setting standards in terms of environmental protection,” said Wybcke Meier. Just as Mein Schiff 1, launched last year, Mein Schiff 2 is part of a new generation of ships. Both ships are around 20 metres longer than the previous ships. Apart from offering even more generous feel-good space, they feature an even wider choice of cabins and suites. “For us, it was again exciting to cooperate with TUI Cruises so as to further develop the concept and use our expertise in ship design and technology to build a better, more energy-efficient and customer-friendly ship”, said Dr Jan Meyer.

The world’s most modern and environmentally friendly cruise ship fleet

Like the previous five newbuilds, TUI Cruises again focuses on environmentally friendly operation of the vessel. The latest newbuild has also been designed to optimise energy efficiency and use cutting-edge emissions technologies to achieve a substantial reduction in CO2 and pollutant emissions. Due to the worldwide, sustained operation of these systems, the Mein Schiff newbuilds rank top in the industry’s emissions reduction league. Like Mein Schiff 1, the new Mein Schiff 2 also features catalysts for her main and auxiliary engines. This helps to further reduce nitrogen oxide emissions worldwide, in particular in coastal and port regions. The new Mein Schiff 2 thus renders an active contribution to local air pollution control.

The new Mein Schiff 2 consumes up to 40 per cent less fuel than ships of comparable size, driven in part by a comprehensive energy management system, an innovative light control system, highly efficient air conditioning, the ships’ hydrodynamic hull shape and a comprehensive LED concept as well as the environmentally friendly underwater silicone painting.

Regarding the hotel facilities aboard a cruise ship, the new Mein Schiff 2 is setting standards: All fabrics from the bed linen via towels all the way to bathrobes in the cabins are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton additionally certified with the Fair Trade label. Moreover, like all previous newbuilds, all wooden furnishings in the cabins are from responsible forestry schemes and have been certified with the FSC Mix label. Moreover, natural materials such as wool or cork have been used.

First cruises and naming ceremony

The new Mein Schiff 2 will depart from Kiel on 23 January for inaugural sailings with travel agency partners and first guests. Under the motto “Charting a discovery course”, she will then set sail from Bremerhaven on 3 February for a twelve-day christening itinerary in the sun. Following port calls in in La Coruna (Spain) and Leixoes (Portugal), the new Mein Schiff 2 will call at Lisbon for three days for the naming ceremony before continuing her itinerary to Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) via Cadiz (Spain) and Arrecife (Lanzarote).

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About TUI Cruises

TUI Cruises GmbH is one of the leading cruise operators in German-speaking countries. The joint venture between TUI AG and the US cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. employs around 750 people in Hamburg and Berlin. A fleet of seven ships sails for the Mein Schiff brand. Since the end of 2020, the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises brand has also been part of TUI Cruises GmbH with a fleet of currently five ships. The Mein Schiff fleet offers contemporary holidays at sea in the premium segment (Mein Schiff 1 to Mein Schiff 6 and Mein Schiff Herz / bed capacity: 17,800). Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is one of the leading cruise brands in the German-speaking world in the luxury and expedition segment with a 130-year history. TUI Cruises operates one of the most modern and environmentally and climate-friendly fleets in the world. In the course of sustainable growth, three more new ships are planned until 2026.