TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium cruise market operator jointly owned by TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL), may order more ships and enter the UK source market, TUI AG said in a statement.
“Further fleet growth is conceivable to achieve the planned internationalisation of TUI Cruises within the TUI Group, in particular through a potential entry into source market UK. The Group is currently evaluating long-term options for an expansion of its fleet. However, here, too, capital discipline remains the priority,” TUI said in a statement.
TUI Cruises has two ships in service and two 99,300 gross ton newbuildings on order at STX Finland in Turku. The first one is due to enter service shortly and the second in the spring of 2015. They all cater for the German spaking market.
Thomson Cruises, which is part of the London based TUI travel plc group in which TUI Ag is the biggest shareholder, operates five ships on the British market.
“TUI is assessing the outlook for the cruises business as particularly positive. The Executive Board of TUI AG is confident that the Sector will achieve the turnaround by the end of the financial year. Following the commissioning of the third vessel by TUI Cruises in June 2014, Mein Schiff 4 is to be delivered in 2015, as scheduled,” TUI said.
TUI Cruises has been highly profitable, whereas the destinational to luxury brand Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten has experienced difficult times.
