On July 19th, cruise ship Mein Schiff 5 operated by TUI Cruises made her inaugural call to Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg.
Mein Schiff 5 is the third cruise ship, build in 2016 by TUI Cruises at Meyer Werft, Turku, Finland.
Only 4 days ago, on July 15th, a christening ceremony was held in Travemunde, Germany. Mein Schiff 5 was christened by a German singer-songwriter, Eurovision Song Contest 2010 - Lena Meyer-Landrut.
She has 15 decks, 1267 cabins, 293 meters length and capacity of carrying 2534 passengers on board. The ship offers a theatre, open swimming pools, sport courts and a wide choice of restaurants.
It is noteworthy that the command bridge of the newest ship took the legendary captain Kjell Holm (born in 1949). For the last 14 years he has been a captain of the cruise company ships. In 2009 he became a captain of Mein Schiff 1 operated by TUI Cruises, then other company's ships. He also participated in the design of the last two ships: Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4.
TUI Cruises is a German cruise line, owned by a tourist firm TUI Group and operator Royal Caribbean Cruises. The company was founded in 2008. It operates the fleet of 5 ships. The concept is for German-speaking customers who opt for premium cruise experience.
Traditionally a welcome plaque ceremony was arranged on board the vessel.
Mein Schiff 5 will make the next call at the Port on August, 6th, during the Baltic cruise.
Passenger Port of Saint-Petersburg «Marine Façade» PLC is in the ownership of the city of St. Petersburg and is the largest passenger seaport in Russia. Construction of Marine Façade began in 2006. The port can accommodate cruise and ferry ships of up to 330 m long and with a draft of up to 8.8 m. The length and depth of new access channels - 10 km and 11 m, accordingly. The port operates seven piers. The quay-side length – 2,171.06 m.