Following its complete refurbishment, the "treasure chest" of the KölnTourist fleet is back in operation
After a full 18 months of refurbishment, the time has finally come: the MS RheinPerle, the "treasure chest" of KölnTourist Personenschiffahrt, shines in new splendor and is now back on the Rhine near Cologne. After the first test trips, the ship will be officially inaugurated on Monday, 27.05.2024.
Connoisseurs of Cologne's ships will certainly have already noticed and wondered: Where is the MS RheinPerle? Until the beginning of October 2022, the ship sailed regularly along the Cologne skyline, but then disappeared inconspicuously from the cityscape. The reason: on 14.10.2022, the KölnTourist nautical experts led by skipper Thomas Herzog brought the ship to the Lux shipyard in Mondorf.
This is exactly where it was born in 1967 and had already been sailing on the Rhine in the Bonn area for many years under the name MS Regina. After the Schmitz family founded KölnTourist Personenschiffahrt in 1993, the ship became the "RheinPerle" and has been used in the cathedral city ever since. In 2003, the ship was extensively rebuilt and modernized for the last time. "Now that we have completely modernized the other ships in our fleet, the MS RheinTreue in 2011 and the MS RheinLand in 2021, it was high time to give the MS RheinPerle a facelift too," explains KölnTourist Managing Director Angelika Schmitz. "The ship is particularly popular with bridal couples as an exclusive wedding ship and with business customers as an event location for smaller groups. We naturally want to offer the best possible facilities and the highest quality."
Complete renovation with attention to detail
The conversion was extensive and therefore took time. The fact that the lion's share of the work was carried out by the KölnTourist nautical team on their own initiative and with great attention to detail was also an important factor. First, the entire interior of the ship had to be removed: the permanently installed benches, the counter in the middle of the saloon, the appliances in the small galley, the toilets and the entire wooden paneling on the walls and ceilings. "There were also some amusing surprises," recalls Thomas Herzog, Head of Nautical Services at KölnTourist. "Our skipper Hans Adam had immortalized himself with a signature behind the wall cladding of the upper saloon during the last renovation in 2003. And now, 20 years later, he personally brought it back to light."
By February 2023, the demolition work had been completed and it was time to rebuild. The piping and electrics were completely renewed and new insulation and wall cladding were installed. Work also continued over the summer, parallel to the regular operation of the other KölnTourist ships in Cologne. The RheinPerle was completely repainted during the warm season, the new bar and kitchen were installed and new flooring was laid. The saloon was also equipped with WLAN and modern LED lighting. "The LEDs allow for atmospheric color changes and are a real eye-catcher for any event," says Michael Schmitz, second managing director and junior manager. "We had previously installed LEDs at RheinTreue and RheinLand. As our guests love this lighting, it was clear that they also had to be installed on the RheinPerle."
New interior, new team
By the end of 2023, the refit was largely complete and the ship was able to leave the shipyard. Over the last winter, we then got down to the detail work, fitting out the new equipment and furnishing it with new, comfortable furniture. Now the RheinPerle shines in completely new splendor and will be used for charter and scheduled trips with skipper Christian Hentschel at the helm and helmswoman Sarah Fischer, who completed her training as an inland skipper at KölnTourist. These include, for example, the popular Great Cologne Harbour Tours, the "Kölschen Tön zom Fierovend" as well as Kölsch tours and Seven Bridges Tours with live narration by a guide. Katarina Repelova will be responsible for the ship's catering from 2024. She successfully completed her training as a restaurant and event catering specialist with the Schmitz family in 2022 and will now take care of the physical well-being of RheinPerle guests with her team.
KölnTourist offers boat trips and boat charters at the most important hubs on the Rhine in the Cologne/Bonn area, an unforgettable and exclusive variety of experiences for a real change of perspective, plenty of relaxation and lots of good humor on one of the most beautiful rivers in Europe. A personal and individual service, delicious food from selected partners and a very good price-performance ratio round off the offer.
KölnTourist is a privately run shipping company with decades of tradition and shipping expertise. The fleet is technically state-of-the-art, because passenger safety is always the focus. The interior of the fleet is always well maintained. With a view to the environment and future generations, the company embarked on a journey towards greater sustainability in passenger shipping some time ago. KölnTourist sees itself as a true friend and partner to its guests and is open to the world. The employees are authentic and love what they do - with regard to their fleet, their offers, their guests and the team.
