TUI Cruises announced that Captain Jens Troier has taken command of TUI Cruises’ newest ship, the Mein Schiff 7, which embarked on its maiden voyage from Kiel on June 23.

In addition, TUI announced that Captain Omar Caruana will now oversee the entire TUI Cruises fleet from a shoreside position, succeeding Captain Kjell Holm, who managed all the ships in the Mein Schiff fleet for 10 years.

Caruana, who has been with the company since 2009 and served in various roles including as navigation officer and staff captain, oversaw the ship’s construction and christening. 

Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, said: “Captain Kjell Holm has done a great job for our fleet and we are very grateful to him for putting nine ships into service for us. We are delighted that we have two such experienced captains, Omar Caruana and Jens Troier, on the bridge of our new fleet member. Having Omar Caruana as the person responsible for the entire fleet on land in the future is therefore all the more of a stroke of luck for TUI Cruises.”

During its inaugural voyage, the Mein Schiff 7 will visit Stavanger, Nordfjordeid, Molde, Honningsvag, Longyearbyen, Spitzbergen, Trondheim and Alesund before returning to Kiel on July 7.

The ship will spend the summer in the Baltic Sea and the winter around the Canary Islands. 

Photo: Captains Jens Troier und Omar Caruana