Wartsila has been selected as the partner for designing a new ferry as part of the “Midway Alignment of the Bothnian Corridor” project. The scope of the design work will be both initial and basic design. The ferry is designed for sailing between Vaasa in Finland and Umea in Sweden across the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. The contract was signed today, August 4.
The new vessel is required to be innovative, efficient and environmentally sound. Wartsila said in a prepared statement that it’s track record in innovative solutions and technology together with extensive experience in gas fuelled propulsion were important factors in the award of this contract.
The design will also take into account the need for operational flexibility since the transport demands on this route vary from season to season. The demand for cargo transports is quite stable in the course of the year while passenger traffic peaks during the summer therefore flexibility will be important in the concept. Thus, during peak periods the ferry will run to a tighter schedule than is required at other times when the speed can be reduced in order to save fuel costs. Ice conditions during winter months can be quite severe and therefore the design work needs also to consider the operations during harsh winters.
