Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions said Wednesday it would hand over the new LNG-powered ferry Aurora Botnia to compatriot Wasaline in August.
The yard previously planned to deliver the ship in mid-July. This marks the third delay as the duo had earlier this year agreed to postpone the handover from May to June due to Covid-related issues.
Rauma said in a statement it has adjusted the delivery schedule for Aurora Botnia to late August in order to “allow enough time for the commissioning of the ferry’s operating systems.”
According to current estimates, the delivery would take place “during week 32 at the earliest,” the yard said.
The car and passenger ferry, which will operate on the route between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umea, has completed its first sea trials in June.
The ferry features four Wartsila engines able to run on liquefied natural gas but also biogas (LBG).
Additionally, batteries will supply power for peak shaving and support of hotel loads, as well as for propulsion during entry and exit to and from the ports.
Thanks to these new technologies, the ferry will “significantly” lower emissions compared to the ship that now operates across the Kvarken strait, Rauma previously said.
The ferry will accommodate 800 passengers and have a cargo capacity of 1,500 lane meters for trucks and cars.
Kvarken Link, a firm formed by the city of Vaasa and the municipality of Umea, ordered the vessel at Rauma in January 2019. Wasaline is a unit of Kvarken Link.
