Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched Mein Schiff Relax, the inaugural vessel of the inTUItion class, a series of two LNG dual-fuel cruise ships being built for TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
With approximately 160,000 gross tons, these units will constitute the backbone of TUI Cruises’ future fleet. The order is based on a prototype project developed by Fincantieri that enhances the consolidated characteristics of modernity and sustainability of TUI Cruises, a company with one of the most advanced fleets from an ecological point of view. With an innovative product configuration, energy efficiency is at the center of the project, with the dual objective of containing operating consumption and minimizing environmental impact, in line with all the most recent regulations on the matter.
In fact, the ships will be able to use LNG, the cleanest marine fuel currently available at large scale. 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.
The units will also be equipped with catalytic converters (compliant with the Euro 6 standard) and with a generative turbine that uses the residual heat of the diesel generators and an electrical shore-power connection from the ground. All this guarantees almost emission-free operation while in port (about 40% of operating time). Finally, the ships will be equipped with an even more efficient innovative waste treatment system capable of transforming organic substances into charcoal through a thermal process.
TUI Cruises is a joint venture between the TUI Group, number one in the world in the tourism sector, and the cruise group Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company was founded in April 2008, based in Hamburg. Since May 2009 it has been offering cruises for the German-speaking market.
