Finnlines has signed an order for two vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), previously known as AVIC Weihai. Today, both shipyards are part of China Merchants Group. The two vessels will be socalled “Ro-pax ” which means the ships can both transport cars and cargo to be driven on the ship in containers or with forklifts and at the same time serve as passenger ships.
Finnlines issued an official statement regarding the purchase on 8th January 2020.
The Superstar ro-pax vessels are expected to be delivered by 2023. They will be larger than the existing Star class vessels and will be Finnlines’ flagships both in terms of size and technology. With a length of about 230 metres, their loading capacity will be for 5,100 lane metres for rolling freight and around 1,100 passengers.
The vessels will have the highest Finnish / Swedish ice class and will be built with the top technical and environmental views in mind, while being pioneers in honouring green values.
Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Finnlines said in the statement:
“We want to provide a high-quality service to our customers respecting all aspects of the environmental matters. This investment aims at energy efficiency and emission reduction, but at the same time, it is an investment for the highest passenger comfort. We want to lead the development of high-quality ro-ro and ro-pax services in the Baltic Sea region. Our ongoing EUR 500 million newbuilding programme will ensure that we continue to provide premium services to our customers.”
The renewed concept combines the best of both cargo and passenger vessels. The Superstar ro-pax vessel is designed to have many types of seating and public areas, plenty of outdoor areas to admire the Archipelago scenery and adequate premises to serve different kinds of groups. Heart of the vessel will be the shopping area to enhance onboard travel experience.
The Superstar vessel is also designed with the focus on fast and efficient cargo handling to guarantee Finnlines’ customers a short turnaround time.
The next generation Superstar ro-pax vessels will bring significant improvement in Finnlines fleet’s passenger comfort and will provide a brand-new customer experience. The customer experience will be taken to a new level through digital services from check-in to onboard services and feedback collection.
