The Nordic energy company Gasum has signed agreements to build a customer terminal in Vaskiluoto in Vassa enabling the supply of LNG to Wasaline and Wärtsilä’s new Smart Technology Hub.
The deal was signed with Wärtsilä, the Finish City of Vaasa, and Wasaline’s parent company, NLC Ferry.
Gasum is to build an LNG customer terminal from where it will supply LNG to Wasaline’s new LNG-fueled ferry Aurora Botnia . Additionally, tanker trucks will load LNga t the site for further delivery to customer sites.
Wasaline sails the Vaasa-Umeå ferry route. Aurora Botnia will start operating later this year.
Peter Ståhlberg , CEO of Wasaline, said: “The new ferry, M/S Aurora Botnia , which will operate the Vaasa-Umeå route, is nearing completion. Our ship will be the most eco-friendly passenger and car ferry currently under construction. The ship’s engines will run on liquefied natural gas and moving forward also on renewable biogas. The ferry will accommodate 800 passengers and have a cargo capacity of 1,500 lane meters for trucks and cars. Sustainability is increasingly important to our customers and also to the entire Vaasa region.”
LNG will also be supplying the Wärtsilä’s new smart technology hub, a place for research, product development, and engineering, which is planned to be completed in the fall of 2021.
“It’s good news that an LNG customer terminal is to be built in Vaskiluoto. We believe that the use of liquefied natural gas will increase both on land and at sea and that demand for more environmentally friendly fuels will show further growth. At Wärtsilä’s Vaasa site, we develop LNG engines and other maritime innovations for example,” said Vesa Riihimäki , director, delivery management, Wärtsilä Finland.
Gasum will also be able to serve other customers through the terminal.