Hamburg, 12 May 2018

New Mein Schiff 1 christened in Hamburg Port

On Friday night, an emotional firework and lightshow capped the christening of Mein Schiff 1. The show was well visible for spectators of the Hamburg Port Anniversary.

The ship-naming ceremony of the new Mein Schiff 1

Last Friday at shortly after 10.30 p.m., the moment arrived: A light show and fireworks were staged to crown the ceremony for Mein Schiff 1 at Container Terminal Buchardkai. Framed by five towering container cranes at Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the extravaganza was also visible to visitors attending the Hamburg Port Anniversary.

TUI Cruises’ new sports and wellness ship was christened by the two Olympic beach volleyball champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst from Hamburger SV. “We have been waiting for this moment full of anticipation – after all, we are making our debut, and what is more, it takes place in our home town of Hamburg. That is something very special”, said godmother Kira Walkenhorst. “Today, we have exchanged the sand court for ship planks, and I have to say: It feels great,” said Laura Ludwig.

Pure Hamburg – New Mein Schiff 1 framed by container cranes

“After last year’s ship-naming ceremony close to Elbphilharmonie, we have selected another impressive setting for this year’s christening. The container cranes capture the very essence of Hamburg – our ship-naming show combines the port industry with cruise enthusiasm”, said Wybcke Meier, CEO TUI Cruises.

Shortly before 9 p.m., TUI Cruises’ new number one docked at Athabaskakai at HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai, where five container crane operators enjoyed the best view available that evening: From in their cabins at a height of nearly 50 metres, they positioned the container cranes. With more than 200 spotlights installed on their cranes, they did not hoist any containers, but became part of the naming show.

The pool deck aboard the new Mein Schiff 1 had been transformed for the christening show, moderated by North German entertainer Yared Dibaba: A walkable LED surface covering the entire 25-metre pool transformed the pool deck first into an underwater world and subsequently into a starry sky. Aerial acrobats rose on a winch from the middle container crane.

Celebrities and Mein Schiff fans celebrate the new Number 1

This year’s naming ceremony for TUI Cruises’ fifth newbuild was primarily dedicated to the fans of the Mein Schiff fleet. More than 2,500 guests had booked the exclusive naming show followed by a christening voyage to and from Hamburg. In addition, thousands of people followed the event on TUI Cruises’ Facebook livestream, from the escort boats or from the banks of the Elbe river in Hamburg. The guests taking part in the ceremony on board also included celebrities such as football expert Reiner Calmund, former professional gymnast Philipp Boy, former rhythmic gymnast Magdalena Brzeska, presenters Sabine Christiansen, Annabelle Mandeng, Nova Meierhenrich and Ruth Moschner, actress Natascha Ochsenknecht or Circus Roncalli co-founder Bernhard Paul.

TUI’s fleet currently comprises 16 cruise ships. TUI Group’s cruise subsidiaries TUI Cruises, Marella and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will take delivery of further new ships in 2018, 2019 and 2023 in order to further expand their market position. Moreover, TUI Group’s Supervisory and Executive Boards gave the green light for the construction of an additional expedition cruise ship for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises on Tuesday. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will shortly start the planning and negotiation process for an additional Hanseatic class ship.