The keel was laid in China for the second of three hybrid roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels ordered by Finnish shipping company Finnlines.
The keel-laying ceremony for Finneco II took place at Nanjing Jinling shipyard on 12 May.
The vessel is part of Finnlines’ ongoing €500 million ($592 million) newbuilding programme, which includes three green hybrid RoRo vessels as well as two eco-friendly Superstar RoPax ships. These new ultra-green vessels will provide several energy-saving solutions for a greener future.
The construction of the newbuild started in September 2020.
All three new ultra-green RoRo vessels are in the production phase. MS Finneco I will begin operating at the turn of the year. The second and third vessels in the series are planned to be delivered in 2022.
The three RoRos will start operating under the Finnish flag employing Finnish sea personnel. The company currently has a fleet of 21 vessels and, after the new ships have started in operation, 20 Finnlines’ vessels will sail under the Finnish flag.
These vessels are expected to play a vital role in ensuring the smooth supply of goods to Finland and provide regular sea connections from Finland to Sweden and Finland to Continental Europe and Great Britain.
“Finnlines has made major investments in renewing and developing its fleet into more sustainable, using the latest technologies and green innovations available. Our half-billion-euro newbuilding programme is well under way and currently all three new ultra-green ro-ro vessels are in construction,” Emanuele Grimaldi , CEO of Finnlines, commented.