Finnlines Orders Three Ro-ro Vessels

Finnlines, part of the Grimaldi Group, signed a 200 million euro ($240 million) order for three new ro-ro vessels to be delivered from China’s Jinling Shipyard from 2020-2021.

The 17,400 DWT vessels will be 238 meters long and have a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane meters plus 5,600m2 of car decks and a capacity of about 300 TEU on the weather deck. The ships are designed to carry all types of ro-ro cargoes, with tank top and main deck areas are shaped with strengthened bulkheads and are free of pillar areas to accommodate paper and sto-ro.

“We continue to modernize our fleet further,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Finnlines. “This investment will also help us to meet increased demand and enable us to serve our customers better.”

The vessel will have the highest Finnish/Swedish ice class and “will be among the most modern and environmentally friendly vessels in the Baltic,” according to Finnlines, who worked with naval architect Knud E. Hansen to design the vessels.

The new ro-ro vessels will feature a number of green technologies, including scrubbers, and will be hybrid powered, using fossil fuel during sailing and then electricity to become completely emissions free while in port. In order to do so, the vessels will have a lithium-ion battery bank, which will be recharged during sailing and will provide the electricity to the ship while at berth.

In addition, an air lubrication system under the keel will create the bubble layers which will reduce friction and hydrodynamic resistance and consequently reduce fuel consumption and emissions as well. The hull lines and propellers including an advanced integrated propeller-rudder system help to ensure further energy efficiency.

“These green ro-ro vessels will be built taking all technological and environmental factors into account and thus will increase our energy efficiency further,” said the Finnlines CEO, Grimaldi. “These vessels will offer us the lowest possible fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.”