Finland-based ro-ro and passenger services operator Finnlines has taken delivery of its first lengthened Breeze vessel from Remontowa S.A. shipyard in Gdansk.
MS Finntide, delivered in 2012 from the Chinese Jinling shipyard, arrived in Gdansk on September 25, 2017. As planned, the vessel was cut in two and a 30-metre section was inserted between the parts. The sections were welded together again, and around 1,000 additional lane metres were added to the vessel’s capacity.
Finnlines said that the close to 30% capacity increase will considerably reduce the energy consumption per transported unit compared to the original vessel.
“In other words, it will improve energy efficiency further and thus contribute more to reducing emissions,” the company added.
After the modification, MS Finntide is 217.77 metres long and has a capacity of 4,213 lane metres. In practice, around 1 km of trucks more per ship can be hosted on board.
MS Finntide‘s lengthening is part of Finnlines’ Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction Investment Programme, which was launched this year. Through this EUR 70 million investment programme, the company will lengthen four of its “Breeze series” ro-ro vessels with options for two more ships. The whole lengthening programme is planned to be completed by May 2018.
MS Finntide is set to return to the normal operation on Uusikaupunki/Turku–Travemünde route on November 26, 2017. The next vessel to be converted leaves for the shipyard on November 28, 2017.
“Finnlines has continued to invest in its fleet to become a more environmentally friendly and a more sustainable shipping company. We continue to optimise our operations and seek for growth in order to strengthen our competitive position. In response to growing demand, we are expanding our fleet capacity through this lengthening programme. This way we can serve our customers better and grow together with them, ” says Tom Pippingsköld, CFO of Finnlines .
Image Courtesy: Finnlines, Remontowa; Video Courtesy: Finnlines