Tallink Cruise Ferry Launched at Aker Yards

The christening and launching ceremony of the big cruise ferry ordered by Tallink took place at Aker Yards shipyard in Rauma. The contract worth $194M was signed in October 2004, and will start cruises from Helsinki to Tallinn next spring. The vessel was christened as Galaxy by Ms. Johanna-Iisebel Järvelill, daughter of Member of the Board of Tallink, Mr. Kalev Järvelill. The vessel will be one of the biggest cruise ferries in the Baltic Sea, having capacity for 2,800 passengers. The guiding principle in designing the vessel is paying attention to the comfort and luxury of present-day passengers. There will be maximal use of high-tech solutions onboard: 927 cabins, several restaurants and places to entertain of various style and class as well as a conference center with over 450 seats. When delivered in spring 2006, the vessel will start regular cruises between Helsinki and Tallinn. On that route now, the cruise ferry "Romantika", delivered from Aker Finnyards in spring 2002, will start cruising between Stockholm and Tallinn together with the sister ship "Victoria", built in Rauma in 2004. In addition to the cruise ferry launched on December 1, Tallink has ordered a fast passenger day ferry from Aker Yards; and signed option agreements for both vessels. MS Galaxy is designed to carry passengers, private cars and freight units, and has 1,130 lanemetres, i.e. over a kilometre of vehicle deck space. The vessel has a length 696 ft., a beam of 95 ft. of 48,300. Propulsion by four diesel engines totalling 26,240 kW will provide a service speed of 22 knots. Classification of the vessel is to the highest ice-class - 1 A Super. The catalytic reduction units to be installed for control of exhaust emissions.