‘It’s great that we have two unique events on the same day at the Turku shipyard to celebrate the magnificent ships that are under construction for TUI Cruises,’ said Jari Anttila, evp and coo of STX Finland. ‘Work has progressed well on both ships and we are pleased to continue towards the next milestones in the shipbuilding process.’

TUI Cruises ceo Richard Vogel said Mein Schiff 3 is now taking shape and looks like a ship.

‘Step by step we are getting closer to expanding our well-being fleet and both we and our guests are already primed with anticipation,’ he added. ‘The high numbers of booking enquiries are just one indication that our concept works.’

The 99,000gt newbuilds are approximate 294 meters long with a 36-meter beam. Each will have 2,500 lower berths and capacity for 1,000 crew.

Environmentally friendly features with a particular emphasis on efficiency are characteristics of the ships that will consume roughly 30% less energy compared to other cruise ships of similar size, STX Finland said.

Mein Schiff 3 is scheduled for delivery in spring 2014 and Mein Schiff 4 will be delivered one year later. Combined, the two vessels bring some 11,000 man-years of labour to STX Finland’s Turku yard.