TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and the Royal Caribbean Group, celebrated a significant milestone marking 15 successful years at sea. Since it's beginnings in 2007, the Mein Schiff crew onboard and the employees ashore have prioritized environmental protection and resource conservation. In their anniversary year, the Hamburg-based cruise company takes further strides forward with a new sustainability strategy and an ambitious climate protection plan for their esteemed brands, Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
In collaboration with the TUI Group, TUI Cruises has independently verified its emissions reduction targets, in alignment with the latest climate science and the Paris Climate Agreement. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), backed by esteemed organizations like WWF and the UN Global Compact, endorses emission reduction goals of companies worldwide. By 2030, TUI Group's cruise businesses aim to reduce their absolute CO2 emissions by over a quarter (27.5%) compared to 2019, making them the pioneering industry leaders to have their reduction plan approved by the SBTi. This commitment sets them apart as the only ocean cruise company currently dedicated to an absolute, rigorously controlled climate protection target.
TUI Cruises relies on several key strategies to achieve this ambitious decarbonization program. They include the adoption of low-emission fuels such as green methanol and sustainable biofuels, the consistent use of green shore power in ports, and the implementation of ambitious energy efficiency measures across their fleet.
The new sustainability strategy, developed by a cross-company team led by Lucienne Damm, Head of Sustainability, combines 15 years of experience in promoting sustainable cruising with a clear vision for a climate-neutral future. Aligned with the recently published TUI Group Sustainability Agenda, the TUI Cruises sustainability strategy is founded on three pillars: Planet, People, and Progress. It defines specific future action areas, encompassing climate protection through fuel transformation and energy efficiency, a circular business model, ecosystem preservation, destination responsibility through low-impact shore excursions and a sustainable supply chain, and the promotion of sustainable products among customers and employees. Furthermore, the strategy emphasizes sustainable business transformation through product redesign, innovation promotion, digitalization, and the integration of sustainability into core company processes.
TUI Cruises has a long-standing tradition of ingraining sustainability throughout its corporate culture. This commitment extends to all employees, both ashore and onboard, and has been present since the early days of the Mein Schiff fleet. Environmental officers were already appointed on the inaugural ships, tasked with implementing headquarters' environmental standards and continually seeking improvement opportunities. The collective expertise of these officers and TUI Cruises' sustainability experts in Hamburg played a crucial role in shaping the company's first bespoke new build, Mein Schiff 3, which celebrates its tenth anniversary next month. With cutting-edge exhaust gas cleaning, recycling initiatives, and energy efficiency measures, it has set the benchmark for subsequent new builds and retrofit projects. Each shipyard visit and vessel introduction represents an ongoing commitment to pursuing groundbreaking innovations and achieving greater sustainability.
