By
Rebecca Gibson |
Wärtsilä is to help to design a new ferry that will operate between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden across the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.
As part of the contract, the marine solutions and services provider will provide the initial and basic designs for the gas-fuelled vessel, which was developed as part of the Midway Alignment of the Bothnian Corridor project.
“The project has been initiated to develop a multi-modal logistics corridor across the Gulf of Bothnia,” said Mathias Lindström, director, Kvarken Council and project leader for the Midway Alignment of the Bothnian Corridor project. “The planning and design of the new ferry is one of the key activities in the project. Feasibility and environmental sustainability are essential cornerstones and Wärtsilä’s experience and expertise will contribute greatly to achieving a successful solution.”
When designing the ferry, Wärtsilä, which has extensive experience in gas-fuelled propulsion technologies, will take into account the need for operational flexibility since the transport demands on this route vary from season to season. While the demand for cargo transport is quite stable throughout the year, passenger traffic peaks during the summer so the ferry will be required to run more frequently. The ferry will also be designed to operate in severe icy conditions during the winter months.
“Integrated solutions for gas-fuelled vessels represents a key focus area for Wärtsilä and is one where we clearly have a leading role in the global market,” said Magnus Miemois, vice president of ship power solutions at Wärtsilä. “As a first step, the initial design will be finalised whereby we can start making more precise budgets and develop the project further.”
The ship design phase is scheduled to be finalised by the end of the second quarter in 2015.