Mein Schiff Relax, the first new build of the InTUItion ship class, has officially been handed over to TUI Cruises at the Italian Fincantieri shipyard. Representatives from both companies, including Wybcke Meier and Frank Kuhlmann, CEO and CFO of TUI Cruises, as well as Cristiano Bazzara, Director of Fincantieri, attended the formal handover. The Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, was also present and was welcomed by Biagio Mazzotta and Pierroberto Folgiero, the Chairman and CEO of Fincantieri, as well as Luigi Matarazzo, the General Director of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division.
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“It’s a very special moment for us to receive the first ship of the new, innovative InTUItion ship class,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises. “Eleven years ago, we took delivery of our first newly built ship. With Mein Schiff Relax, we are now turning an entirely new page in the premium cruise sector. We thank the shipyard and everyone involved for helping bring this ship, on which ‘well-being is redefined,’ to life with our teams.”
Mein Schiff Relax offers regular guests and cruise enthusiasts a more diverse culinary journey through particularly high-quality worlds of indulgence. High-quality entertainment and experience worlds, such as the Asian restaurant Fugu with a digital atmosphere and dishes created by Tim Raue, will also find a new home on this ship, which will begin its first preview trips in March.
With the cabins and suites, Mein Schiff caters even more to the needs of cruise travelers, creating a very special vacation feeling. For the first time, the Mein Schiff Relax features interior, outside, and balcony cabins for solo travelers. Alongside the numerous innovations, the suites and the area for suite guests will find a new home at the stern of the new wellness ship. In addition the ship also features many other suite categories, including Junior Suites, Horizon Suites and, for the first time, two Grand Freedom Suites that span two decks and feature a large terrace.
New and even more opportunities are available to retreat into architecturally spectacular wellness oases for relaxation. Guests can experience perfect relaxation with stunning views in the new, exclusive barrel sauna on Deck 19. And brand new: An exclusive cold chamber for cryotherapy treatments, which helps with regeneration, weight loss, or improving skin texture at temperatures as low as -110°C.
Sustainable growth
In the new ship class, TUI Cruises is also focusing on environmental and climate protection: Mein Schiff Relax will be equipped with dual-fuel engines that can run on liquefied gas and, in the future, on low-emission, climate-friendly bio- and E-LNG – a significant step toward climate-neutral cruising. Furthermore, it will be equipped with improved catalysts (reducing nitrogen oxide to Euro-6 standards) and a shore power connection, ensuring almost emissions-free ship operations during harbor stays (about 40% of operational time).
Mein Schiff Relax is also equipped with an innovative system that shreds organic waste through thermal treatment and can process it for further use on land. In the so-called “HydroTreat” process, heat and pressure are applied to separate the liquid components of biological waste, which are then directed to the ship’s wastewater treatment. The treated wastewater is released onshore at the level of modern wastewater treatment plants. The solid waste is transformed into what is called BioChar, which is considered a multitasker in agriculture – for example, used for soil improvement or as a feed supplement.
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