Premiere on the Bridge: Kira Schikorr is TUI's First Female Captain

It is news that many in the industry have been waiting for. While other cruise lines have long placed women in the highest positions on board, TUI Cruises is now following suit—and sending an impressive signal. In the midst of ongoing operations during the Asian season, responsibility for the ship, crew, and guests has been placed in female hands.

A Rapid Rise to Number One Kira Schikorr’s path to the bridge is a true success story from within the company’s own ranks. She joined TUI Cruises as a Second Officer back in 2018. Within just eight years, she worked her way up through performance and expertise. An important milestone was her time as Staff Captain—the captain's deputy—including on the new build of Mein Schiff 7. There, she was able to gain valuable technical experience that goes far beyond pure navigation.

The fact that she now wears the four stripes on her shoulder is not a PR stunt, but the result of hard work. As Captain, she is now the manager of a floating commercial enterprise. In addition to nautical leadership, her daily routine includes personnel responsibility and representative duties. Guests describe Schikorr as approachable and strong in communication—qualities that are particularly valued on the "well-being ships."

The Asia Challenge: Full Concentration on Starboard and Port The timing of the handover could hardly have been more challenging. The Mein Schiff 6 is currently sailing the "Fascination Southeast Asia" route. Anyone familiar with seafaring knows: This is not relaxed cruising on the open ocean.

The route leads through the Singapore Strait and the South China Sea. These are some of the busiest waterways in the world. Highest precision is required here. The bridge team must keep a permanent eye on traffic—regardless of whether huge container ships appear on starboard (right) or small fishing boats cross on the port side (left).

Added to this are the climatic conditions of January. While it is often calm on the west coast of Malaysia, the northeast monsoon in the Gulf of Thailand can cause significant swell. Tendering, i.e., transferring guests to shore with small boats (for example off Koh Samui), is also a decision that now lies solely with Captain Schikorr. Safety always takes precedence over the schedule here.

A Sign for the Future With this personnel decision, TUI Cruises is closing a gap. For a long time, the profession of captain was almost exclusively male-dominated, often simply because there were too few women with the necessary licenses. Fortunately, this is changing.

For the guests on board, little changes with the change at the top—and yet it feels modern. The fact that a German cruise ship at the other end of the world is led by a woman stands for a contemporary corporate culture. It is to be hoped that this was just the beginning and that we will see women on the bridges of the fleet even more frequently in the future.