V.Ships Leisure, part of V.Group, has been awarded a shipmanagement contract by Marella Cruises, TUI UK’s ocean cruise line.
The five-year agreement will cover the full technical, crewing, digital and ESG management of Marella’s five cruise ships.
The first two vessels will come under management by the end of this year, with the other three joining in the first half of 2026.
As part of the new partnership, V.Ships Leisure will build upon its already strong UK presence by establishing a dedicated Marella Cruises fleet cell in the UK, operating from its Southampton office and supported by the wider V Group network.
The decision reflects V.Ships’ commitment to provide Marella Cruises with local expertise backed by global scale, reach and experience.
V.Ships will leverage its ShipSure platform to enable data-driven decision-making across fleet maintenance and operations, supporting more efficient and proactive management and giving Marella Cruises enhanced transparency to the operations, the company said.
Marella Cruises will benefit both from V.Ships’ end-to-end management services and from V.ERDE, the dedicated de-carbonisation and environmental compliance programme.
Adrian Hibbert, Cruise Operations Director at Marella Cruises, commented: “Throughout the tender process, we were hugely impressed by the calibre of the team at V.Ships Leisure and the depth of their industry expertise.
“We look forward to working together to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable operations across our fleet,” he said.
Per Bjørnsen, CEO of V.Ships Leisure, added: “This contract is a clear endorsement of our talented team, commitment to ESG and our digital first approach.
“Above all, it’s testament to our track record and further reinforces our leadership in the cruise sector.
“We are extremely proud to be working with Marella Cruises and are looking forward to collaborating to achieve operational excellence,” he concluded.
