The first of two new cruise ships being built in Italy for the first time has been completed. Fincantieri and Tui Cruises celebrated this in Monfalcone.
The “Mein Schiff Relax” is the first of two new cruise ships in the new InTUItion class with dual-fuel engines that can use both gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO). The sister ship is due to set sail in mid-2026.
With a size of 160,000 GT and a length of 333 m, it will be the new flagship in the Tui Cruises fleet, based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri. It will accommodate almost 4,000 passengers and 1,530 crew members.
The project is reportedly characterized by an innovative configuration that focuses on efficiency. The aim is to reduce energy consumption on board and minimize the environmental impact in accordance with the latest regulations. The ship can use liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is designed to be able to use low-emission fuels such as bio or E-LNG at a later stage.
The engines generate a total of 60,000 kW (81,577 hp). This power is brought into the water via two propeller nacelles, which enables a service speed of 21.5 knots.
Tui aims for low-emission operation
According to Fincantieri, more than 3,000 people have worked on board the “Mein Schiff Relax” in recent months. The ship has catalytic converters that meet the Euro 6 standard, a generator turbine that uses the residual heat from the diesel generators and a shore power connection. All this ensures almost emission-free operation in port, i.e. for around 40% of the operating time, it is said.
The ship is also equipped with an innovative and highly efficient waste treatment system that can convert organic materials into recyclable components through a thermal process.
In the so-called “HydroTreat”, the liquid parts of the biological waste are separated using heat and pressure and fed into the ship’s own wastewater treatment system. The result is purified wastewater on a par with the most modern wastewater treatment plants on land. The solid parts of the waste are transformed into so-called BioChar, which is considered a multi-talent in agriculture – for example to improve the soil or as a feed additive.
With the two newbuilds in the “Relax” class, Tui Cruises left its long-standing home shipyard Meyer Turku for the first time and switched to Fincantieri in Italy.
