Estonian shipping company AS Tallink has signed a letter of intent with Finland’s shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy to build an environmentally friendly car-passenger ferry.
Valued at €230m, the new 212m-long ship will be constructed at Turku shipyard with delivery expected to take place in early 2017.
Once delivered, the vessel will be deployed on the Tallinn-Helsinki route for shuttle operations.
With a gross tonnage of 49,000, the car-passenger ferry will be capable of accommodating 2,800 passengers.
Meyer Turku Oy CEO Jan Meyer said: "A series of six ferries between years 2002 and 2009 has been delivered to Tallink and this ship will be the seventh new-building for the same shipowner.
"This new ferry prototype gives us an excellent opportunity to apply improved design and building methods."
Incorporating several innovations and new technical solutions, the eco-friendly vessel will offer better energy efficiency, along with reduced emission, lower levels of waste and increased recycling utilisation.
The LNG-powered ship will comply with the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas, including the Baltic Sea, Tallink said.
In September this year, the Finnish Government and the German shipyard Meyer Werft signed a share purchase agreement with STX Europe for the acquisition of Turku shipyard. STX Finland Oy has been renamed Meyer Turku Oy.
Meyer Werft holds a 70% stake of the newly formed company, while the Finnish State owns the other 30%.
Image: The new 212m-long ferry is expected to upgrade the Tallinn-Helsinki route ferry service. Photo: courtesy of AS Tallink Grupp.
