Finnlines and the Finnish Seafarers’ Union have reached an agreement, which will ensure that Finnlines’ new Superstar class cargo-passenger vessels, i.e. ro-pax vessels, which will enter traffic in 2023, will operate under the Finnish flag, according to the company's release.
The new vessels will offer 200 new permanent jobs and they will also employ a large number of extra crew during the high season.
Finnlines is a major employer of seafarers in Finland. Finnlines employs nearly 1,000 seafarers, 700 of them are Finns. The fleet consists of 23 vessels, of which 18 sail under the Finnish flag.
The agreement creates 200 permanent jobs for Finnish seafarers and also jobs during the high season. Recruitment for the new ships will start without delay.
The new vessels will enter traffic between Finland, Åland Islands and Sweden on the Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär route. The vessels will ensure a more sustainable option for travel and transport of freight.
Both vessels have capacity for 1,100 passengers, which is the double compared with the current vessels on the route. Freight capacity will also increase from around 4,000 lane metres to 5,200. The new ro-pax vessels are part of Finnlines’ EUR 500-million investment programme.
Finnlines is a 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.