Baltic passenger and cargo transportation service provider AS Tallink Grupp and Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy have signed a Letter of Intent for the construction of an environmentally friendly car-passenger ferry for the Tallinn-Helsinki route shuttle operations. The ship, to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), will cost around 230 million euros (USD 287 m) and will be built at Turku shipyard for delivery in the beginning of 2017.
The new ferry will be about 212 metres in length with a gross tonnage of 49 000. The ship will operate on the route between Helsinki and Tallinn and she is planned to carry 2800 passengers.
The vessel will bring significant improvement in energy efficiency which is achieved by applying numerous innovations and new technical solutions. Green values, reduction of all emissions, minimizing the amount of waste and increasing recycling utilization, have been very carefully taken into account in the design of the ferry. The ship uses LNG as fuel and she complies with the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas including the Baltic Sea.
Over the next few months Tallink Grupp and Meyer Turku will work towards the shipbuilding contract and financing arrangements.
Tallink Group’s move to LNG-fuelled passenger ferries follows an order placed early November for four new LNG car-passenger ferry boats by the Port of Tallinn with Remontowa Shipbuilding and Sefine Shipyard shipbuilding facilities, to be used on the lines between the mainland and major Estonian islands
(Source: Tallink Grupp)
