By
Rebecca Gibson |
Innovative design onboard TUI newbuild Mein Schiff 3 delivers a near-silent ship on which passenger space is paramount, STX Finland head of naval architecture Olli Jantunen tells CFI
Compact is not the first word that springs to mind when thinking about a 99,500gt, 294m cruise ship and certainly not one that can lay claim to being the largest in TUI Cruises’ fleet. But as Olli Jantunen outlines, packing as much as possible into as small a space as possible, was key for the recently launched Mein Schiff 3.
“The total space per person had to be optimised,” he says. “TUI wanted to give the maximum share of the vessel to passengers and to make all technical spaces as compact as possible to achieve it. Crew comfort was also important as was minimising mechanical compartments and engine rooms so that the vessel wasn’t transporting unnecessary volume.”
Environmental considerations – such as the use of scrubber technology to reduce sulphur in fuel emissions – were an important part of the newbuild’s design, but threw up some challenges for the STX Finland team in allocating space. “In some cases you have to fit more equipment in when you have an environmental focus and scrubbers are a good example of that,” Jantunen explains. “They take up more room and increase the weight of the ship too, so we needed more space to accommodate this equipment.”
Assistance came from a tool the team uses routinely to progress its shipbuilding projects. “Using 3D modelling helped us optimise space, especially when having to incorporate big scrubber systems into the funnel or engine casing,” explains Jantunen. “Once we have the weights and sizes of the technical systems, we make the model – it’s easy then to modify so that we have the right amount of space for these without impacting on public spaces for passengers.”
Further innovations contributing to overall passenger comfort include the development of a new underwater hull form – with much lower resistance than previous models – made especially for Mein Schiff 3. “Combined with rudder and appendage design, as well as extremely low propeller excitation forces, the new hull proved a good platform to reduce interior noise levels,” Jantunen explains. “The public areas are pleasant places to be and guests’ aft cabins – which on most ships are normally quite noisy and uncomfortable – are remarkably quiet.”
Passengers could also be forgiven for feeling that they are holidaying in a land-based hotel rather than onboard a cruise ship, believes Jantunen. “My own experience during sea trials tells me that if guests are not looking out to sea when the ship is moving, they will have no idea that they are on an ocean-going vessel,” he says. “We can now say that Mein Schiff 3 is the most silent cruise vessel ever built.
“Shipbuilding is always a mixture of different compromises, but in terms of the naval architecture this is one of the best vessels we have ever built.
This article appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of Cruise & Ferry Interiors. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.