The first new Finnlines’ hybrid ro-ro vessel was launched at the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard on 26 April 2021, according to the company's release. The vessel will start sailing under the Finnish flag at the turn of the year. This is highly significant in terms of Finnish sea personnel and Finland’s security of supply.
An important milestone in Finnlines’ EUR 0.5 billion green Newbuilding Programme has been reached and the first vessel in the three ro-ro vessels series was launched at the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard on 26 April 2021.
These three hybrid ro-ro vessels will start operating under the Finnish flag, which is highly significant in terms of Finnish sea personnel and Finland’s security of supply. In total, 20 Finnlines’ vessels will sail under the Finnish flag after the new ships have started in operation. These vessels play a vital role in ensuring the smooth supply of goods to Finland and provide regular sea connections from Finland to Sweden and Finland to Continental Europe and Great Britain.
Finneco I will be heading on the Finnlines’ Biscay–North Sea–Baltic Sea service at the turn of the year. Respectively the second and third vessel in the series, Finneco II and Finneco III, will be delivered in 2022.
The new vessels will be 238 metres long with a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane metres. Additionally, car decks have a capacity of 5,800 m2 and about 520 TEU on the weather deck. Consequently, each of the new vessels can carry about 300 trailers, 150 cars and 500 sea containers per sailing. In comparison to the Company's currently largest ro-ros, Breeze series vessel, the cargo capacity will increase by 38%.
Finnlines new ultra-green vessels will provide several energy-saving solutions for a greener future. Lithium-ion battery systems will allow zero-emission port visits as well as modern two-stroke engines, emission abatement systems, solar panels and an innovative air lubrication system will cut emissions further.
The new ro-ro vessels are a part of Finnlines’ ongoing EUR 500-million Newbuilding Programme, which includes two eco-efficient ro-pax vessels in addition to the three hybrid ro-ro vessels. The newbuilding programme is a collaborative project and apart from the shipyards it will engage several suppliers from Finland and the Nordics.
Finnlines is a leading shipping operator of ro-ro and passenger services in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Bay of Biscay. The Company is a part of the Grimaldi Group, one of the world’s largest operators of ro-ro vessels and the largest operator of the Motorways of the Sea in Europe for both passengers and freight. This affiliation enables Finnlines to offer liner services to and from any destination in the Mediterranean, West Africa as well as the Atlantic coast of both North and South America.