RMC to Build Ferries for TT-Line

Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and Australian TT-Line Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on two fast car and passenger ferries.

The Project will have an impact on employment totalling around 3,500 person-years, and the construction work will start at the beginning of 2021, said a press release from the company specialized in constructing car ferries, icebreakers and naval vessels.

”We are proud and grateful of the trust TT-Line Company has shown us. We believe that with this new partnership, we can serve our customer in a way that results in a world-class car and passenger ferry solution for TT-Line Company’s business. Through this Memorandum of Understanding, RMC can move strongly forward on its planned growth path, and can increase the building of large car and passenger ferries in Rauma. This signifies a steady growth for the shipbuilding industry in Finland,” said Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, RMC.

The vessels will be built at Rauma shipyard and delivered to the customer in Tasmania, Australia, at the end of 2022 and 2023. The vessels set to operate under the brand Spirit of Tasmania will replace the existing vessels, Spirit of Tasmania I and II (ex. Superfast III and Superfast IV), built in Turku, Finland in 1998.

The new ferries will accommodate 1,800 passengers and will have an approximate gross tonnage of 48,000. The ferries are set to operate in challenging conditions on the Melbourne, Australia – Devonport, Tasmania route.

“Building these vessels is a natural continuation to the similarly sized MyStar, which we are building for Tallink Grupp. During the next few months, TT-Line Company and RMC are working in close cooperation to finalise the contract for the construction of the vessels. The design of the vessels will begin in the autumn of this year. The building of the vessels will begin in early 2021, and they will be made side-by-side with the multi-role corvettes for the Finnish Navy,” explained Heinimaa.

The construction of the vessels will have a substantial impact on employment, totalling around 3,500 person-years. RMC will also strengthen its organisation and recruit more talent in all phases of the shipbuilding process.

“On top of our own personnel, we will continuously strengthen our cooperation network. Our long-term partnerships can cover diverse sectors of shipbuilding from designing to finishing,” emphasised Heinimaa.

In February, RMC together with Wasaline, celebrated the keel laying of the Aurora Botnia car and passenger ferry. When completed, the vessel will operate between Vaasa and Umeå.

The building of Tallink’s new shuttleferry MyStar, which will operate between Helsinki and Tallin, will begin construction in April 2020 at the Rauma shipyard. Last autumn, RMC also signed a deal with the Finnish Defence Forces to deliver four multi-role corvettes by 2026.