German cruise line TUI Cruises took delivery of New Mein Schiff 2, a next-generation cruise ship, in Kiel on January 22, 2019.
Built at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the ship was transferred to Kiel at the beginning of January for the final equipment due to icy weather in the Turku archipelago.
The 111,500-ton newbuild is a sister ship to New Mein Schiff 1 , delivered to the cruise company in April last year. Featuring a length of 315 meters and a width of 36 meters, New Mein Schiff 2 can accommodate 2,894 passengers and 1,092 crew onboard.
“The commissioning of our new Mein Schiff 2 marks the successful end of our first expansion phase. Our sixth newbuild by Meyer Turku not only impresses with its design, its inner values are equally convincing: With the use of modern technologies we are setting standards for environmental protection,” Wybcke Meier, TUI Cruises CEO commented.
With New Mein Schiff 2, Meyer Turku and TUI Cruises have further improved and refreshed the design of the ship.
“For us it has been a thrill working with TUI Cruises on the design and construction of this ship. We have redesigned many of the areas of the ship, e.g. the Schau Bar and the restaurant area in front of the aft diamond structure,” Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, said.
The New Mein Schiff 2, which flies the flag of Malta, will be christened in Lisbon on February 9, 2019. The ship will be baptized during its maiden voyage between Bremerhaven and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with calls in La Coruña, Leixões, Lisbon, Cadiz and Arrecife.
Take a closer look at the New Mein Schiff 2 in the video below:
Due to the commissioning of the new ship, the previous Mein Schiff 2 was renamed Mein Schiff Herz this January. From February to March, the 77,302-ton vessel will undergo a dry dock overhaul in Marseille, France, TUI Cruises said.
The 1997-built cruise ship will continue to be part of the TUI Cruises’ fleet until April 2022 when it will be handed over to the TUI’s UK’s subsidiary Marella Cruises.
Image Courtesy: Meyer Turku; Video Courtesy: Unimedien