No.1 Delivery

On 25th April the new flagship of German TUI Cruises was delivered from Meyer Turku shipyard. The 111,500gt and 315m long Mein Schiff 1 (above) is based on a new design which is an evolution from the very successful Mein Schiff 3-6 series. The new Mein Schiff 1 is already the fifth Mein Schiff ship built by Meyer Turku for TUI Cruises. Each ship was an evolution of the previous hence the new Mein Schiff 1 was built 20m longer with a substantial redesign of the passenger spaces and a number of new iconic features like the new Lagune sun deck area, the new covered sports Arena and the new elevated jogging track. The impressive new 50m wide steel and glass window structure that makes up the new Diamond at the stern of the ship combines architectural design with engineering skills. The new 3,132 passenger capacity ship joins the company in its 10th anniversary year with a new Mein Schiff 2 following in 2019 and Mein Schiff 7 in 2023. The new Mein Schiff 1 was christened in Hamburg on the 11th of May and then entered service. With the pending arrival of the new ship, TUI said farewell to the 76,998gt/ 1996 built Mein Schiff 1 on 11th April after operating the former Galaxy for eight years and 11 months. The ship joined the fleet on 15th May 2009 and was originally built by Meyer Werft. The ship moves to the Marella Cruises brand following a 4 week refit. The 77,302gt/1997 built Mein Schiff 2 will remain in the fleet for the time being but is to be renamed Mein Schiff Herz (as announced 25th April). She will carry this name from spring 2019 and will remain with TUI Cruises until 2022. In the first summer season as Mein Schiff Herz the ship will offer Eastern Mediterranean itineraries.

Ovation Delivered

On 27th April Seabourn Cruise Line’s 40,350gt/2018 built Seabourn Ovation (above) was delivered at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Sestri (Genoa). Sistership Seabourn Encore was delivered from the Marghera (Venice) yard at the end of 2016. The 210m long and 28m beam ‘Ovation has a cruising speed of 18.6 knots and capacity for 600 guests in 300 all-oceanfront suites featuring a private veranda. The Seabourn Ovation began her maiden season with an 11 day inaugural voyage departing from Venice to Barcelona on 5th May. The vessel will be officially christened at a ceremony in Valletta, Malta on 11th May and international actress and singer Elaine Paige will be her godmother.

Costa Tribute

On 4th May Costa Cruises revealed that the new flagship Costa Smeralda flagship (above) will be named in Savona on 3rd November 2019. During the 25th Protagonisti del Mare event, the company presented an innovative virtual reality preview of the newbuild, which is currently under construction at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland. The ship will be an authentic tribute to Italy, and will offer a unique travel experience inspired by the style, the hospitality and the warmth of the Belpaese. Her debut is scheduled for 20th October 2019, with a 15-day cruise from Hamburg to Savona followed by the celebratory event in Savona. The Costa flagship will be LNG powered and arrives the year after Costa’s 70th anniversary. The ship’s tribute to her home country begins with the name that recalls one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Sardinia (Emerald Coast), as well as the names of the decks and public areas, each one of which is dedicated to famous places and squares of Italy. From Palermo (deck 4), to Trieste (deck 20), the Costa Smeralda will take its guests on a veritable tour of Italy.

MSC News

MSC’s 65,542gt/2001 built MSC Armonia (above) suffered a mishap on 10th April when she clipped the pier at Roatan, Honduras, upon arrival prior to running aground just beyond the berth. A problem with her steering or propulsion was clearly to blame as the anchors had already been dropped before her port side bow clipped and damaged the berth. The ship was travelling at around 8 knots as she reached the pier, too fast to use the bow thrusters to push her away from danger. The ship was later freed and berthed alongside with no injuries and minimal damage to the ship. Typically, videos taken from the shore of the incident went viral online immediately.

On 24th April the 137,936gt/2009 built MSC Splendida (above) arrived in Shanghai to commence her first season in Chinese waters as well as itineraries from Yokohama in Japan. Prior to her arrival, the MSC Splendida went through an extensive overhaul process to renovate her interiors, install new as well as upgrade the on board experiences and add features that meet the expectations of Chinese and Asian guests. The ship was due to arrive in Yokohama on 27th April, where MSC Cruises also celebrated its 10th anniversary in Japan.

Also on 24th April MSC revealed that the 171,598gt MSC Bellissima will be deployed in Asia in Spring 2020 following her debut season in the Mediterranean. She will become MSC Cruises’ newest flagship for the region. The ship is currently being constructed at STX France’s shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and is due to enter service in March 2019. She will be christened at Southampton.

The 171,598gt/2017 built MSC Meraviglia made her maiden call at Southampton on 26th April, the first of 6 calls, and did likewise at Hamburg three days later marking the start of her new season in Northern Europe.

At the traditional exchange of crests attended by Senator Horch from the City of Hamburg as well as representatives from the Ports and other institutions, media and travel partners, MSC Cruises announced that the new MSC Grandiosa (above) will be christened in Hamburg on 2nd November 2019. The last ship to be christened there was the 95,128gt MSC Magnifica in 2010. The 139,072gt/2013 built MSC Preziosa is also offering sailings from Kiel and Copenhagen whilst the 92,409gt/2007 built MSC Orchestra is based at Warnemunde for summer 2018.