Mein Schiff Relax completes first sea trial - dry dock in Palermo and next steps

Von lappino - https://www.shipspotting.com, CC BY 4.0, Link
Today, Friday, October 11, 2024, the new Mein Schiff Relax completes its first test voyage. This took the ship from the shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, to Palermo in Sicily. In Palermo, the ship will go into dry dock at the Fincantieri shipyard for the last time before the final handover to TUI Cruises.

During its stay in the dry dock, various checks will be carried out and any irregularities that occurred during the sea trials will be rectified. In addition, the ship's hull is freely accessible in the dry dock so that final cosmetic work can be carried out on the exterior. Once this work has been completed, Mein Schiff Relax will return to the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone.

Since the start of the trial voyage on Tuesday, 8 October 2024, the ship has already covered more than 1,000 kilometers under its own power. During the voyage to Sicily, various maneuvers were tested to check the ship's LNG propulsion in extreme situations. These tests go far beyond normal cruise operations and were supervised by a team of shipyard employees, experts from the shipping company and representatives of the classification society. Among those responsible on board is start-up captain Thomas Roth, who has been in command of TUI Cruises' eighth newbuild since August 2024.

In the coming months, the technical tests at sea and the work in the passenger and crew areas must be completed on time. The aim is to put the ship into service in spring 2025. According to current planning, the first cruise of the new InTUITion-class ship will begin on March 16, 2025 in Palma de Mallorca. Further information on the maiden voyage and possible pre-cruises is not yet known.