By
Rebecca Gibson |
Meyer Turku laid the keel for TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 5 and started the production of Mein Schiff 6 at its yard in Turku, Finland, on 23 June 2015.
The keel-laying ceremony took place at Meyer Turku’s building dock and was attended by representatives from TUI Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Meyer Turku, classification society Det Norske Veritas, invited guests, and the press. Following maritime tradition, Meyer Turku placed several commemorative coins under the keel block to bring luck to the ship and all of those sailing on her.
Prior to the keel-laying ceremony, TUI Cruises’ CEO Wybcke Meyer started the plasma-cutting machine to launch the production phase for Mein Schiff 6.
“The construction of a ship is a great team effort for the shipyard and we work closely with our customers and subcontractors,” said Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “It is a nice tradition that we pause and appreciate the moment when the hardware part of the construction of a new ship is actually starting – as for Mein Schiff 6 today. We are also happy that we are in schedule with Mein Schiff 5 and can celebrate the keel laying for Mein Schiff 5.”
Designed as sister ships to Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4, the two 97,000gt newbuilds will be delivered in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The 295m ships will feature 15 decks and be able to accommodate 2,506 passengers in 1,250 cabins. Around 90% of the cabins will be outside, while 82% will feature balconies.
Both Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6 will be constructed using the latest environmentally friendly technologies to ensure they consume around 30% less energy than similar-sized cruise ships. The vessels will also be fitted with combined exhaust cleaning systems, which include a scrubber and catalytic converter, to reduce sulphur emissions by around 99% and nitrogen oxide emissions by around 75%.
“This growth presents us with the opportunity to further strengthen our position with one of the most modern fleets on the German market,” said Wybcke Meier, TUI Cruises’ CEO. “With six ships in the medium term, we are aiming at a market share in excess of 25%.”