Fincantieri and Tui Cruises, a joint venture between the German travel company Tui and the US shipping company Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL), have signed a contract for the construction of two new cruisers.
The order replaces a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) agreed with Tui in March for two ships of the Marella Cruises brand, as the companies announced. This means that the newbuilds will now go to TUI Cruises rather than Marella.
The two cruisers are to be delivered in 2031 and 2032 and will then serve as sister ships to the “Mein Schiff Relax” (2025) and “Mein Schiff Flow” (2026) from the “InTUItion” class, which are each 333 meters long and can accommodate up to 4,000 passengers. The ships are powered by dual-fuel engines for LNG and MGO. With a gross tonnage of around 160,000, they are larger than the units originally planned for Marella. The contract is – as is usual in this size range – subject to financing and other conditions.
“We are very pleased to extend our partnership with Tui Cruises and to further strengthen our relationship with both Tui and Royal Caribbean. This contract reaffirms the trust built up over the years and the successful cooperation already achieved with the first two InTUItion class ships,” emphasized Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero. He emphasized the shipyard’s ability to support the fleet growth of the world’s leading cruise companies, combining innovation, sustainability and Italian shipbuilding excellence.
With this strategic realignment, Tui aims to support its long-term growth plans in the UK and Northern Europe. While Marella Cruises will continue to operate with its existing fleet, Tui Cruises will benefit from the larger newbuilds in the future. The “Mein Schiff” fleet will thus grow to a total of eleven cruise ships by 2032. According to the company, the new units are expected to generate an after-tax profit contribution similar to that of their sister ships “Mein Schiff Relax” and “Mein Schiff Flow”.