TUI Cruises
Setting a new standard for modern bridge operations
Sector Adventure
Type Cruise Ship
Delivered April 2025
Vard Electro delivered its first SeaQ Bridge for cruise
The delivery of SeaQ Bridge onboard Mein Schiff Relax highlights Vard Electro's strength as system integrators and our ability to make complex onboard systems work seamlessly together. Developed in close collaboration with TUI Cruises, the bridge has been tailored to meet the evolving standards of modern cruise ship operations – combining functionality, integration, and forward-looking design.
01
The Challenge
To develop a new and modern bridge design tailored to the evolving demands of advanced cruise operations — with a strong focus on crew comfort and usability. Cruise ships are large and technically complex, placing high demands on system integration. Every system on board must operate seamlessly together, without compromising safety or efficiency. One of the key challenges in this project was achieving smooth coordination across a wide range of systems — including navigation, communication, safety, automation, and energy management.
Value for client
A future-ready platform
The SeaQ Bridge is built for tomorrow’s needs, offering flexibility for future upgrades and compatibility with evolving digital systems. This secures long-term value and positions the ship for continuous improvement in operational performance.
Smart integration
The client benefits from a fully integrated bridge solution where all critical systems - from navigation to safety - work together in one unified interface. This reduces complexity and support safe, and efficient operations.
Enhanced user experience
With a clean, modern layout and intuitive control surfaces, the bridge is designed with crew comfort and usability in mind. The result is a working environment that minimizes strain and supports focus, especially during demanding operations.
02
What we did
To ensure the SeaQ Bridge would meet the specific demands of cruise operations, Vard Electro worked closely with TUI Cruises from the early stages of the project.
Together, we explored the day-to-day challenges crews face on the bridge, gaining valuable first-hand insight that guided the entire design process. This allowed us to define key operational needs and determine which adaptations to the SeaQ Bridge were necessary to support safe, efficient, and user-friendly operations on board a large cruise ship.
Further we carefully reviewed which systems needed to be integrated into the bridge, and mapped out how workstations across different operational areas — including the bridge center, bridge wings, safety control center, and engine control room — could be connected. The result is a fully integrated bridge environment that ensures access to critical systems wherever the crew operates from.
It is the first time that I have been able to access every system from a single workstation. This represents a significant improvement on conventional bridge systems. It is setting a new standard for the cruise sector.
Tom Roth - Captain onboard Mein Schiff Relax
03
Result
The result is a modern and future-ready SeaQ Bridge, tailored to the operational needs of cruise ships. With a clean design, intuitive interface, and seamless integration of critical systems, the bridge offers a streamlined and efficient working environment for the crew. Full system access is available across connected workstations, supporting safe and coordinated operations throughout the ship — from the bridge to the engine control room.
