19 November, 2016 by Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo

The Ship “Mein Schiff 2“, Five Years Later

Five years have passed since the cruise ship “Mein Schiff 2” made its first stop at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 7, 2011, during its positioning voyage in the American market, on a 22-day itinerary heading to Bridgetown. It is not a ship that frequently visits this port, and yesterday it was there again, coinciding with two seasonal regulars: “AIDAblu” and “Thomson Spirit”.

Founded in 2007, TUI Cruises GmbH began operations in May 2009 with the ship “Mein Schiff”, which was renamed “Mein Schiff 1” in November 2011. A few months earlier, in May, the ship “Mein Schiff 2” had been added, and since then it has been positioning itself in the German market, whose purchasing power and growth prospects, at double-digit rates annually, have led it to take the step of building no less than six new generation ships, in an investment exceeding two billion euros.

The ships “Mein Schiff 1” and “Mein Schiff 2” are well-known. Originally, they were the “Galaxy” and “Mercury” ships, built on order for Celebrity Cruises at the Jos L. Meyer shipyard in Papenburg (Germany) and put into service in November 1996 and October 1997. They are beautiful ships, in line with current trends, with a capacity for 1,896 passengers. They have a gross tonnage of 76,522 tons, with a hull length of 259.70 m, a beam of 32.20 m, and a draft of 7.70 m. They are powered by four MAN B&W engines, with a power of 29,250 kW coupled to two shafts, allowing them to maintain a speed of 21 knots. IMO codes 9106297 and 9106302.