Second LNG-powered Megastar ferry to start operating between Tallinn and Helsinki in 2022
The second LNG-powered Megastar ferry will start operating between Tallinn and Helsinki in 2022, IAA PortNews correspondent cites Sergey Efimov, Head of LNG Supply and Logistics Department, Eesti Gaas, as saying at the roundtable meeting “Small scale lNG – a new breakthrough for natural gas” held in the framework of the 9th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
“ Tallink Grupp has already made a decision and ordered Megastar 2, the second ferry for Helsinki-Tallinn route. Perhaps, it will start operation in 2022”, said Sergey Efimov.
In October 2018, AS Tallink Grupp and Rauma Marine Constructions (Rauma) signed a Letter of Intent for the construction of a new shuttle ferry for the Tallinn-Helsinki route. The estimated cost of the project is approximately 250 million euros and the construction of the new ship is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
The new ferry will be dual fuel operated, using LNG as its main fuel and will have capacity for 2,800 passengers. It will start operating on the Tallinn-Helsinki route, further developing this important route between the two capital cities. The new ferry will be built using all the latest technologies and the most innovative solutions available and the group’s aim is to build the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly vessel operating on the Baltic Sea.
Eesti Gaas is the leading LNG supplier in the region and the biggest truck-to-ship LNG bunkering provider in whole Northern Europe. By now, Tallink’s vessel Megastar has been truck-to-ship bunkered with LNG in the ports of Tallinn and Helsinki over 2000 times. Last year, Eesti Gaas supplied over 16,000 tonnes of LNG from its various sources in Russia, Finland, Lithuania and Poland while the amount supplied a year before had been 12,300 tonnes. The company has procured nine semi-trailers for the purpose of LNG transportation and bunkering.
An LNG bunker vessel is currently being built for Eesti Gaas by Damen. With a 6,000m³ capacity, the new vessel will play a vital role facilitating the adoption of LNG by providing an efficient ship-to-ship distribution service for all kinds of LNG vessels in the Baltic region.
AS Tallink Grupp is one of the leading providers of passenger transport and cargo transport services in the northern part of the Baltic Sea region. The company owns 14 vessels and operates seven ferry routes under the brand names of Tallink and Silja Line. AS Tallink Grupp employs over 7,400 people in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia and Germany. In 2018, Tallink Grupp provided services to 9.8 million travellers and transported approximately 385,000 freight units of goods. The shares of Tallink Grupp are listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) is a wholly Finnish-owned shipbuilding company formed in the summer of 2014 in Rauma. RMC specialises in building and servicing multipurpose icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and naval vessels.
The 3rd “LNG Fleet and LNG Bunkering in Russia” conference organized by PortNews Media Group will address the issues of LNG application for seaborne and river transport on 22 October 2019 in Moscow. Read more on the Events page >>>>
