The China Merchants Jinling shipyard in Weihai today delivered the “Finncanopus” to the Finnlines shipping company.
This is the second of two cargo-passenger ships in the Superstar series. The ship will be deployed on the Finnlines line between Finland and Sweden (Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär). It is scheduled to enter service in February[ds_preview].
To celebrate the handover, a ceremony was held on site with representatives of the shipping company and the shipyard. The voyage home is expected to take six to seven weeks, as the “Finncanopus” will be almost fully loaded with cargo and will call at several ports before entering the Baltic Sea, according to reports.
The new RoPax vessels are part of the €500 million program for environmentally friendly newbuildings, which has now been completed. The program included two hybrid RoPax and three hybrid RoRo vessels, all equipped with environmentally friendly technology.
The first superstar ro-pax vessel, the ” Finnsirius”, was delivered to Finnlines in July and will sail the Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär route in September 2023. The “Finncanopus” will sail the route together with the “Finnsirius”, departing from Naantali in the evening and Kapellskär in the morning.
The newbuildings are the largest in the Finnlines fleet
The two sister ships are the largest RoPax vessels in the Finnish shipping company’s fleet. Both have 5,200 loading meters for freight and are approved to carry 1,100 passengers.
“Finnlines has made significant investments in sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies and has thus positioned itself competitively. Our investment programs are in line with the Grimaldi Group’s strategy to increase operational efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. The new vessels support customers in their transition to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Thus, Finnlines continues its green transition and makes every effort to serve its customers in the most sustainable way. Finnlines’ €500 million green newbuilding investment program, which began in 2018, is now complete. This program is a clear demonstration of our unwavering commitment to the environment, our customers and our other stakeholders,” said Tom Pippingsköld, President and CEO of Finnlines, today at the handover ceremony at the Weihai shipyard in China.
Technical data “Finncanopus”
- Ship type: Cargo-passenger / RoPax
- Ice class: 1 A Super
- Length, overall: 235.0 m
- Width, molded: 33.3 m
- Gross tonnage: 65,692
- Lane meters: 5,200
- Design speed: 16 / 20.5 kn
- Engine power: 4 x 7,200 kW
- Flag: Finland
- Passengers: 1,100
- Passenger cabins: 323
- Route: Finland-Sweden (Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär)