Estonians Raise the Ferry Stakes

A stylish entrant to the rapidly-growing ferry traffic across the Gulf of Finland between Tallinn and Helsinki denotes the opening of a new chapter in the development of the Estonian fleet, and could also act as a spur to fresh investment by Nordic operators. The 40,000-gt Romantika is a landmark vessel, signaling the attainment of a new unit scale in the Estonian ferry sector and the introduction of a cruise ferry standard to contractual owner Tallink's inter-city service, where the company ranks as market leader with a 40- percent share of the passenger traffic.

The designers' endeavors to appeal to the Finnish short-cruise market have been shaped by the expectation that at least three-quarters of passengers will book round-trips entailing only a short sightseeing break in Tallinn. At the same time, the vessel is equally suited to rising demand from business travelers, car-accompanied passengers and freight shippers, recognizing the convenience and opportunity presented by the 3.5-hour crossing between the Finnish and Estonian capitals.

The latest completion from the Rauma stable of Aker Finnyards, an innovative shipbuilder which can lay claim to a long line of mold-breaking European ferries and RoRos, has been dimensioned for 2,500-passengers and 1,000 lane-m of vehicles, conveyed on a year-round schedule at up to 22-knots. The ship was phased into duty only 21 months after the signing of the $131-million contract in August 2000. At a time of diminishing ferry orderbooks, it is hoped that the high-grade Romantika will give fresh impulse to ordering by Baltic specialists

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 19, Jul 2002

Read Estonians Raise the Ferry Stakes in Pdf, Flash or Html5 edition of July 2002 Maritime Reporter

Other stories from July 2002 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.