A new ferry that will combine energy efficiency, flexibility and optimised space availability, will soon start operation between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland. The ferry will have been constructed by 2021 and will run mainly on LNG. The ship will also be able to burn biogas, while it will incorporate battery power to reduce its emissions while on port.
Kvarken Link converted a letter of intent with Finnish builder Rauma Marine Constructions into a contract to construct the Super 1A Ice Class ferry by 2021, with capacity for 1,500 lane metres of freight and 800 passengers. The agreement will deliver the ship to sustain the ‘Kvarken Link’, the regional connection supported jointly by city authorities in Vaasa and Umeå.
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According to Lauri Haavisto, Managing Director, Foreship, this route is vital for freight and passengers, but it causes specific flexibility, stability and efficiency challenges. For this reason, the ferry has to maximise lane metres to support freight growth in what is the shortest link between Sweden and Finland, but also navigate independently in the challenging ice conditions.
The ship will have dual fuel main engines running mainly on LNG with the option to burn biogas. What is more, the Wasaline ferry will also include battery power, limiting its overall environmental footprint either by operating with zero emissions in-port or by meeting peak load demands more efficiently at sea.
