New LNG fast ferry to make Tallinn Helsinki maiden voyage in late January
The Megastar receives first LNG bunkering at Skangas Pori LNG terminal
Due for delivery later this month, Estonian ferry operator Tallink will own and operate the Megastar on the route between Helsinki and Tallinn. The 212m-long vessel, with capacity for 2,800 passengers, will have a service speed of 27 knots and will burn the cleanest available LNG and will be fully compliant with Baltic Sea Emission Control Area (ECA) regulations.
Meyer Turku project manager Kari Toivonen said that construction of the vessel showed that the shipyard is a global forerunner in the construction of gas-powered ships. “Hull form design and modelling helped minimise hull resistance,” he said, “and therefore also minimise energy consumption during operation.”
Speaking for Skangas, sales and marketing director Tommy Mattila emphasised the benefits of LNG in the reduction of harmful emissions including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and particulates. “Thanks to LNG, the exhaust gases contain hardly any nitrogen oxides which are particularly harmful as regards issues such as the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea,” he said.
