By
Rebecca Gibson |
TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 has made her first cruise call since leaving the Meyer Turku yard in Finland on 8 May.
Onlookers watched as the 99,526gt newbuild entered Kiel harbour in Germany accompanied by water fountains from a tugboat and berthed at the Ostseekai terminal on 14 May.
To mark the maiden visit, Ulf Kämpfer, Mayor of Kiel, and Dirk Claus, the port’s managing director, presented a commemorative plaque to Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, and the ship’s captain Kjell Holm.
“Kiel is proud to have the honour of welcoming this great new ship of TUI Cruises as first port,” said Kämpfer.
Mein Schiff 4 will now sail a series of short inaugural cruises and berth at Ostseekai on 17, 20 and 25-26 May.
The ship will return to Kiel to be christened by former Olympic swimmer Franziska van Almsick on 5 June.
“The christening of Mein Schiff 4 is a wonderful present to Kiel and will be the highlight of our cruise season,” said Claus. “At the same time, this extraordinary event stands for the long-time trusting partnership between shipping company and port.”