Port of Kiel welcomes first call of TUI Cruises flagship
“Mein Schiff 3” - the new flagship of TUI Cruises, and currently also the biggest cruise ship sailing with any German shipping company, has arrived in the Port of Kiel on her maiden visit. The new 99,500 GT, 294 m long ship was welcomed with a water fountain display from a port tug when she entered the Kiel Fiord, the Port of Kiel press release said.
At a traditional on-board reception later Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL) and Robert Vollborn, Kiel’s First Deputy City President, presented the Port of Kiel’s commemorative ‘First Call’ plaque to Richard J. Vogel the CEO of TUI Cruises and to Captain Kjell Holm. Dirk Claus said “we are very proud to be able to welcome this splendid new ship to Kiel. We are also very pleased that she is introducing herself here even before her official naming ceremony”, he added. “Mein Schiff 3” was first making a short trip in the direction of the Danish Island of Bornholm in the evening before returning to Kiel on Friday and berthing again at the Ostseekai. On Saturday June 7th TUI Cruises was holding a ‘Day of Discovery’ on board the ship after which “Mein Schiff 3” was scheduled to head for Hamburg where she was being officially named on June 12th.
Inside just four days, all three of TUI Cruises ocean-going cruise ships have been in Kiel for people to see. “Mein Schiff 2” started the ball rolling on June 1st ahead of “Mein Schiff 1” which berthed at the Ostseekai the following day. The arrival of “Mein Schiff 3” on June 4th completed the trio of visits. “The fact that all three ships of TUI Cruises are calling at Kiel this season underscores the close partnership enjoyed by the port and the shipping company”, said Dirk Claus. Overall, the Schleswig-Holstein state capital will be visited 18 times this year by the cruise ships of TUI Cruises. The most frequent visitor will be “Mein Schiff 2” which is starting 12 cruises from the Ostseekai during this year’s summer season. During the Kieler Woche regatta at the end of June, both “Mein Schiff 2” (22nd June) and “Mein Schiff 1” (27th June) will be on the Kiel Fiord to draw admiring glances. There is another highlight to look forward to as well: during the 2015 summer cruise shipping season, Kiel will also become the base port for “Mein Schiff 4”, which is currently being built at the STX Shipyard in Turku Finland.
The SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG operates Kiel’s commercial port on behalf of the Schleswig-Holstein state capital of Kiel, of which it is a 100% subsidiary company. In close proximity to the city centre Kiel boasts two berths for large cruise ships at the Ostseekai. Big ships can now also tie up to exchange passengers at the new Berth I in the Ostuferhafen. Smaller cruise ships can also berth at Kiel’s Norwegenkai, Sartorikai or Schwedenkai. This year, Kiel will welcome 22 different cruise ships making 125 individual calls. Once again more than 350,000 passengers will either embark or disembark from a cruise ship in the port.
The seaport of Kiel is one of the most versatile and cost-effective Baltic Sea ports. Its favourable geographical position, with sufficient water depth for seagoing ships in all areas, and with direct links to rail and road networks, makes it attractive both for goods handling and for passenger traffic. The port also benefits from its favourable position at the entrance to the world’s most frequented artificial waterway, the Kiel-Canal.