TUI Cancels Mein Schiff 3 Canary Islands Cruise After Bremerhaven Collision

TUI has cancelled Mein Schiff 3's Canary Islands voyage after the ship hit two container vessels while leaving Bremerhaven on October 25, leaving the operator with an unspecified repair bill and a police investigation into the captain.

The collision happened in stormy conditions on Sunday evening as the ship departed for the Canary Islands. A gust of wind pushed Mein Schiff 3 into a smaller container ship first, causing minor damage, according to German media citing police reports. The cruise ship then drifted into a larger container vessel, the MSC Victorine.

Three ships were involved in total, contrary to initial reports of a two-vessel incident. The port authority said the second collision cracked the MSC Victorine's hull along roughly ten meters. Mein Schiff 3 came off worse for a cruise operation: its lifeboats, the cranes that launch them and the outer hull were all damaged.

What happens to the passengers and the ship?

There were 2,428 guests and 922 crew on board at the time. All passengers disembarked on the Monday morning after the accident. TUI confirmed on October 26 that nobody was injured.

The ship remains tied up at the pier in Bremerhaven because the damage requires immediate repair work. Technical teams and experts are still assessing how bad it is, and TUI says that assessment will determine whether, and to what extent, later sailings are affected. For now, only the Canary Islands trip is officially cancelled.

"This decision is extremely difficult for us. We know how much our guests have looked forward to this trip and deeply regret the associated inconveniences. At the same time, we are convinced that this is the only responsible decision to ensure our high safety standards," TUI said in its statement.

In plain terms: the ship cannot safely sail, and TUI is not yet willing to put a date on when it will.

Is anyone being held responsible?

German media report that the coastal police are investigating the captain for a possible regulatory offense (an administrative breach of port or shipping rules, rather than a criminal charge). No findings have been published yet.

For travel sellers, the near-term exposure is concrete: a full Canary Islands season positioning cruise is off the board, refunds or rebooking costs are in motion for 2,428 passengers, and further itinerary cancellations remain possible until the damage survey closes.

The takeaway for agents and operators is to watch TUI's next damage assessment update — that, not the police file, will decide how many more sailings disappear from the books.