The Faroese shipping company has contracted the Chinese CIMC Raffles to construct two 190-metre-long, 3,300 lane metres for wheeled cargo, e-methanol-ready freighters.

The newbuilds, designed by KNUD E. HANSEN, will also feature battery systems and onshore power supply connectors.

The duo is planned to start sailing in 2026, serving Smyril Line's Europe-Faroe Islands-Iceland trade.

Jens Meinhard Rasmussen, CEO of Smyril Line, commented on the order:

Now is the time to set ourselves new and bigger goals towards reducing emissions in the North Atlantic. The company's main goal is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of both passengers and cargo, and to connect the periphery of the North Atlantic with the rest of the world. With the new ships, we emphasize futureproofing and leading the company towards a greener energy solution and lead the way for Smyril Line towards the goals for decarbonization in our fleet renewal, supporting the green transition of the shipping industry.

He also underlined:

We will also transport much larger quantities of cargo with less energy consumption than we do now. The energy saving will be at least 60%. This is an important step for us to achieve our goals towards net-zero emissions by 2050, while we can offer our customers an even better service. We have been operating routes in the North Atlantic since 1982. This is not just one of the world's longest ro-ro and ro-pax routes but probably also the one with the most challenging sailing conditions. We know from experience that sailing on our route places great demands on both ship and crew, and we have therefore designed the ships with this in mind.

Photo: KNUD E. HANSEN