The Mein Schiff 1 is edging closer to delivery as TUI Cruises said it will have 1,000 crew aboard the new vessel by the end of the week.

The German ship is in the final stages of outfitting at Meyer Turku shipyard ahead of its delivery.

The Mein Schiff 1 also kicks off a new era for TUI Cruises as the brand’s largest ship, built on an expanded Mein Schiff platform that has passenger capacity rising to 2,900 guests, with the ship size also increasing to 110,000 tons.

Two more new ships join TUI in 2019 and 2023, respectively, and the company announced the smaller Mein Schiff 2 will also stay in the fleet with demand surging in the German cruise market.

TUI will have six ships in service this year, with an estimated 14,784 berths and a market capacity of just over 500,000 cruise guests, according to the 2018-2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

According to Meier, in recent remarks at an industry event, German market growth has driven by new tailor-made capacity being added to the market.