Fincantieri Delivers Mein Schiff Relax in Monfalcone

Fincantieri has delivered the new Mein Schiff Relax to TUI Cruises, with the ship being handed over on Friday in Monfalcone.

Fincantieri said in a press release that the vessel is the first of two InTUltion class new concept cruise ships that are dual fuel powered (Liquid Natural Gas and Marine Gas Oil) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises. The sister ship will set sail in mid-2026.

According to the press release, the Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, attended the ceremony, welcomed by Biagio Mazzotta, and Pierroberto Folgiero, chairman, CEO and managing director of Fincantieri.

The event was also attended by Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division, as well as Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, Frank Kuhlmann, chief financial officer of TUI Cruises and Captain Tom Roth.

The company said that this unit forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet, based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri.

The project focuses on energy efficiency and aims to reduce operational consumption and minimize environmental impact in compliance with the latest regulations. According to Fincantieri, the ship’s ability to use low-emission fuels marks a step towards climate-neutral cruising.

The ship also features catalytic converters meeting Euro 6 standards, a generative turbine using the residual heat from the diesel generators and an electrical shore-power connection. This ensures almost emission-free operations while in port (about 40 per cent of operating time).

The ship also has a waste treatment system that can transform organic materials into recyclable components.

New Mein Schiff Relax Launched at Fincantieri

The launch of Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two InTUItion class new concept cruise ships that are dual-fuel powered (LNG and MGO) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, took place at the Monfalcone shipyard.

The godmother of the ship was Elena Sperti, an employee of the shipyard.

At 160,000 tons the ship is a new prototype for the TUI fleet developed by Fincantieri and due to enter service in early 2025.

The vessels will be future-proof thanks to their ability to also burn low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG: an important step towards climate-neutral cruising.

Royal Caribbean Newbuild Outlook: ‘Market Underpenetrated’

Royal Caribbean Group and its portfolio of cruise brands will launch 11 new ships between 2023 and 2026, culminating in the third Icon Class ship in 2026 being delivered from Meyer Turku to Royal Caribbean International, and a newbuild for TUI Cruises from Fincantieri, according to the cruise ship orderbook.

In the near term, Jason Liberty, president and CEO, said that the business would grow capacity by 10 per cent in 2024, 5 per cent in 2025 and 6 per cent in 2026.

“I think the first thing to point out is, that’s not just one brand in one market, in one destination,” he said. “So this reflects our three wholly owned brands and how they’re going to grow in their different segments and also for these ships to be in other parts of the world.

“If you look at the orderbook, as you get into ’27 and ’28, it’s lighter orderbook. We believe that at Royal Caribbean that the addressable market is underpenetrated, especially in all the different markets in which we operate. We work very hard to create global brands that attract guests from all over the world and build revenue management systems to effectively harvest that quality demand. And we think that apparatus more than supports our expected supply growth over the coming years.”