SeaDream Yacht Club has equipped its entire fleet with shore power connectivity.
Both SeaDream vessels can now turn off their engines and reduce emissions to zero while in ports with shore power facilities, the company said in a statement.
“This is an important milestone and a significant step in our journey to more sustainable cruising,” said Andreas Brynestad of SeaDream Yacht Club.
The SeaDream II completed the upgrade last fall, while the SeaDream I underwent the upgrade recently at Naval Rocha Yard in Lisbon, Portugal.
During the summer of 2024, both yachts will explore the Mediterranean, including the Greek Isles and the French and Italian Rivieras, before heading to the Caribbean for the 2024-25 winter season.
Building on a strong 2023, the region will see 57 different cruise ships from various brands.
Accounting for approximately four per cent of the global cruise market share, some of the big deployment moves include the arrival of the Crown Princess.
Joining Princess Cruises’ lineup in Australia and New Zealand for the 2024-25 season, the 3,100-guest vessel will offer cruises departing from Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane and more.
Taking over the program currently offered by the Coral Princess, the Crown is also scheduled to offer longer cruises, including sailing to the South Pacific and Europe.
Cruise Industry News independent research shows that P&O Australia continues to serve as the market leader, with three ships operating year-round from ports in Australia and New Zealand.
The company’s fleet includes the Pacific Encounter and the Pacific Adventure, which are among the largest ships sailing in the region.
Other brands with significant capacity in the Australia and New Zealand regions include Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line.
Royal Caribbean is deploying three ships to the region in 2024, offering seasonal programs from Sydney and Brisbane.
In addition to the Carnival Splendor operating a year-round schedule out of Sydney, Carnival is once again deploying the Carnival Luminosa to Australia in 2024.
Australia and New Zealand’s 2024 lineup is also highlighted by Disney Cruise Line, which is returning to the region for a second consecutive season in late 2024.
Following a successful debut in 2023, the Disney Wonder will return to the market in late October for an extended program that features itineraries departing from Brisbane, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.
The new Mein Schiff 7 was officially delivered to TUI Cruises today at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland, according to a press release.
The 2,894-guest vessel is the first built by the shipyard with methanol capability, Meyer Turku said in a prepared statement.
At the official signing ceremony, the shipyard was represented by CEO Tim Meyer and Head of Projects Tom Degerman, while TUI Cruises was represented by CEO Wybcke Meier and CFO Frank Kuhlmann.
The Mein Schiff 7 is the seventh ship of the Mein Schiff series built by the shipyard, Meyer Turku highlighted.
“Mein Schiff 7’s symbolic start of production, the steel cutting ceremony, took place at our shipyard on June 14, 2022,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
“We are very proud to have delivered the Mein Schiff 7 to TUI Cruises today, less than two years later. This was made possible by our long-standing and close cooperation.”
The Mein Schiff 7 is also the first ship in the Mein Schiff fleet to run exclusively on low-emission marine diesel (with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%).
The 111,500-ton ship has a shore power connection and is equipped with catalytic converters, the shipyard said.
In addition, the Mein Schiff 7 is built so that it can also run on methanol, which with the green methanol of the future, will make the ship’s propulsion power almost CO2-neutral.
“Receiving this ship is a special moment for us. Ten years ago, we acquired our first Blu Motion class ship here in Turku, and by 2019 we had built a total of six vessels,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.
“We would like to thank the Meyer Turku shipyard for the excellent cooperation and the development of our well-being fleet. We are now sailing on the Mein Schiff 7 to Kiel, where we will welcome the first guests on board on June 12,” she added.
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