191 that emissions are not shifted elsewhere. Although the company cannot invest in the installations directly, Puttich says it pays for the electricity supplied and is making long-term commitments to ports, booking as early as possible and not cancelling calls without reason. Acknowledging that the cold ironing is a “steep learning curve” for everyone, the company plays its part in explaining how, what, why and when it plugs in, inviting stakeholders onboard to learn from its engineers. What is clear is that the availability (or lack of) shore power will affect future itineraries from 2025 onwards. TUI Cruises is conducting a survey among all its ports to see which have shore power plans and, if so, when installations will take place. “If there are two ports in similar locations, one with shore power and one without, we will choose the port with it,” says Puttich. “We all know that everything we do comes at a certain price, and we have to make sure our business is sustainable. We have to do our part and invite ports to do so also.” Although lowering speed can also help to reduce the environmental impact of ships, going slower may reduce the number of ports on an itinerary, which conflicts with TUI Cruises’ mission to go places and learn about different cultures. Indeed, says Puttich, German travellers tend to have a high participation in tours. “Hence, the focus would be on doing smaller changes on the overall sustainability impact, for example arriving later, leaving earlier or overnighting, to save fuel tonnes.” TUI Cruises has also been incorporating new turnaround calls into its itineraries following successful transit calls in certain destinations. For example, also its Mein Schiff vessels have made turnaround calls in Genoa in Italy, Doha in Qatar, and Rostock-Warnemünde in Germany. It is now considering interporting in the Mediterranean which may result in additional turnaround possibilities. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Baltic, Puttich says stakeholders in the region worked very hard, both individually and as part of associations such as Cruise Baltic and Cruise Europe, to ensure they are well prepared for the cruise lines to return. This reference to collaborative brings us full circle. “Only when we talk together will we resolve the challenges that are out there,” says Puttich, noting that this applies to his team too. “We always think of what we can do. We don’t waste time on negative thoughts. Things will be a lot easier to solve if we adopt a positive mindset.” And it’s clear that the results of this philosophy are already bearing fruit for the brand. Mein Schiff 5 arriving in Singapore, becoming the first and only international ship to homeport in the region Photo: TUI Cruises PLANNER PERSPECTIVE “ Only when we talk together will we resolve the challenges that are out there”
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