#NewestShip – Afloat.ie has tracked another big brand new cruiseship, Mein Schiff 5 that is to make a first call to an Irish port tomorrow, reflecting the growing demand for such visits and related infrastructural developments, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Mein Schiff 5 towering 15 decks and almost 100,000 gross tonnage is TUI Cruises' latest fleet member with a 2,750 passenger capacity that is to make a debut to Dublin Port before dawn.
After her visit to the capital, passengers have no less than 13 restuarants and bistros dining options to choose, before it will be the Port of Cork’s turn to welcome the latest newcomer to Cobh on Saturday. Both Dublin through its new cruise terminal development and Cobh’s upgrade are to meet the berthing requirements of even much larger cruiseships.
Today, Mein Schiff is berthed at the Port of Holyhead from where had arrived from the UK’s premier cruise port of Southampton.
In July, the 295m vessel was named Mein Schiff 5 at a ceremony in Lübeck/Travemünde. It was at nearby Kiel, she sailed across the Baltic Sea for her maiden voyage to Stockholm, calling at Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Helsinki.
The newest addition brings to a total of 14 cruiseships for TUI Group, a hotel and cruise group that was initiated at the end of 2014 and includes the rebranding of the UK operator, Thomson Cruises. Mein Schiff 5 is the Group’s third new build, and in June was handed over 10 days ahead of scheduled at the Meyer Turku shipyard, Finland to subsidiary TUI Cruises.
Like TUI Cruises’ other newbuilds, Meins Schiff 5 is a low-vibration vessel, which uses state of the art technologically that will enhance a pleasant environment for her guests. She has a 280m jogging track and 25m swimming pool.
In terms of operational efficiency, there is 30% less energy consumption and therefore 30% less fuel than other cruiseships of a comparable size.
Towards the end of the construction period, work simultaneously began on the construction of another sister, Mein Schiff 6. Meyer Turku were also involved in the construction of predecessor, Mein Schiff 4 launched in 2014.
In the following year, Mein Schiff 4 made a first call to Dun Laoghaire with an anchorage much closer to the harbour compared to other callers of recent years. The south Dublin Bay port still awaits a planning decision on the controversial cruise-berth to enable such sized ships and even larger to dock within the harbour.
