The ro-pax, hailed as the world's most eco-friendly ferry, has been floated out by its shipbuilder, Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), which will now move onto the equipment assembly and interior work parts of the project.
The €120m-worth Aurora Botnia will be a gas-run (dual-fuel, liquefied natural or biogas) 1A Super ice class ro-pax able to take up to 800 passengers on-board and offer 1,500 lane metres of cargo capacity.
The ferry will be the world's first ro-pax to hold a Clean Design class notification, i.a., it'll be possible to carry out the harbour approach/depart operations on electrical power only. Also, Aurora Botnia has been equipped with ABB's Azipod propulsion with permanent magnet motor technology, said to cut fuel consumption by up to one-fifth compared to traditional propulsion.
The ferry is scheduled to enter traffic between the Swedish Umeå and the Finnish Vaasa in spring 2021.
"On this special day, I would like to thank Wasaline's entire personnel both on board and on shore. I also want to say thanks to all our partners and everyone supporting us on this journey. The new ship is the most environmentally friendly ro-pax ferry in the world, and it has many innovative features. Wasaline wants to be the most sympathetic, eco-friendly and reliable shipping company operating in the Baltic Sea. Today, we will also set out to update our brand to match this new era," Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director, Wasaline, commented on the occasion.
Jyrki Heinimaa, President and CEO, RMC, also said, "We can be proud of the fact that despite the unusual circumstances, we are now celebrating the float-out of Aurora Botnia. People at RMC and in our network of partners have done an excellent job, tackling challenges brought about by the coronavirus and driving the project forward in a determined manner. As this project is unique to both parties, I am extremely happy with the smooth cooperation between our team and the customer. I have every reason to believe it will continue to run on track."
Photo: Rauma Marine Constructions