End of an era as final Mein Schiff ship launched for TUI Cruises

Mein Schiff 7 has been floated out at the Meyer Turku shipyard ahead of final outfitting before its 2024 delivery.

The ship is the final vessel in the cruise line’s Mein Schiff class of ships, at 111,500 gross tons and 300 meters in length with 15 decks, she is a sister ship to six other ships in the TUI fleet. 

The ship’s 1,461 cabins can accommodate a total of 2,894 passengers and a crew of about a thousand people. Her construction began in June, 2022 and she is an important step in TUI’s efforts to provide the first climate-neutral cruises by 2030.

“Meyer Turku and TUI Cruises have a long history together, and the Mein Schiff series of ships is one of the success stories of the cruise world,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. 

“Mein Schiff 7 is the last sister ship of the series, but that does not mean that we have compromised our ambition, on the contrary: with Mein Schiff 7, we are building a ship with built-in methanol capability for the first time at the Meyer Turku shipyard. It means a huge leap forward in our pursuit of industry leadership in the green transition,” he added.

Mein Schiff 7 has been built to run on methanol, in preparation for green methanol, which will make the ship’s propulsion almost carbon-neutral.

For now, the ship will be powered by low-sulphur marine diesel oil with a sulphur content below 0.1% and fitted with catalytic converters reducing NOx by 75%. 

Emissions during its 40% time spent in port during operations will also be cut by its ability to connect to shore power. Once green methanol becomes available at scale, the ship will be ready to switch over.

“We are delighted that the seventh ship of the Mein Schiff fleet now has water under its keel. The sister ship of Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 not only offers many great innovations to our guests, but also uses new low-emission fuels,” said Wybcke Meier, TUI CEO of Cruises.

While being more environmentally-friendly, Mein Schiff 7 features the same designs and concepts that have made her sister ships so popular with the German market, including a high proportion of outside and balcony cabins, a wide selection of restaurants and bars, spacious outdoor areas, and spa and sports facilities with a 25-metre pool.