“Mein Schiff 4“ maiden call at port of Kiel. Brand-new ship of TUI Cruises welcomed at Ostseekai
The youngest vessel of TUI Cruises, “Mein Schiff 4”, arrived for its maiden call in the port of Kiel. Six days after its delivery from the shipyard Meyer Turku, Kiel is the first passenger port to welcome the new ship.
Accompanied by water fountains of a harbour tug, the premium-class cruise ship of 293,5 m length and 99,526 GT entered the Fjord in the early morning of May 14. Many onlookers along the shore watched “Mein Schiff 4” berthing at the cruise terminal Ostseekai. On the occasion of the traditional board reception that followed, Dr Ulf Kämpfer (Mayor of the state capital Kiel) and Dr Dirk Claus (Managing Director PORT OF KIEL) handed over the commemorative first call plaque to Wybcke Meier (CEO TUI Cruises) and Captain Kjell Holm.
Ulf Kämpfer: “Kiel is proud to have the honour of welcoming this great new ship of TUI Cruises as first port. Today already, our anticipation for christening “Mein Schiff 4” at Kiel’s Ostseekai is huge.”
On June 5, it will be a big public event when the new vessel is christened by swimming legend Franziska van Almsick. Before that, the ship leaves for several short as well as introductory cruises and can be seen at Ostseekai for three times within just a few days (May 17 & 18, May 20, May 25 & 26).
Dirk Claus: “The christening of “Mein Schiff 4” is a wonderful present to Kiel and the highlight of our cruise season. At the same time, this extraordinary event stands for the long-time trusting partnership between shipping company and port.”
The subsequent maiden trip leads “Mein Schiff 4” to the Baltic metropolises followed by eleven more cruises starting from Kiel. Dirk Claus: “Kiel is homeport for TUI Cruises at the German Baltic Sea coast. The Fjord is starting point for attractive routes to the metropolises of the Baltic Sea as well as to the Nordland.”
The shipping company has been a frequent guest in Kiel since 2009. The maiden call of “Mein Schiff 4” is also the 77th visit of a TUI Cruises ship to the State Capital of Schleswig-Holstein.
