No more ferries in Helsinki’s South Harbour and a €180 million tunnel between Jätkäsaari and the Länsiväylä motorway. This was an in-principle decision made by the city council of Helsinki.
Helsinki-based Nordic Investment Bank and Finnlines Plc have agreed a loan of EUR 30 million to finance the acquisition of three new hybrid cargo vessels.
The new hybrid cargo vessels will be equipped with high-powered battery banks and photovoltaics, which will allow the ships to use electricity and operate emission-free while docked. The vessels will be delivered during 2021–2022, and will operate on routes between Finland and Europe.
Viking Line will place GABRIELLA in service for cruises from Helsinki to the Åland Islands three days a week beginning July 1.
Day trips to the popular summer town of Mariehamn will give passengers the chance to get to know Åland’s sights and attractions. Viking Line, which has its roots in the Åland archipelago, has daily service to Åland with six vessels. The range of routes available is now being expanded by offering Finnish residents an attractive and safe travel option to become familiar with the beautiful archipelago and this summer paradise in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
Damen has established a presence in Finland for the first time. The Helsinki office has been set up to take advantage of the depth of engineering expertise that exists in the country following the group’s entry last year into building large vessels for the Ro-Pax, Cruise and Offshore markets via its new Romanian yard, Damen Shipyards Mangalia. The new office will augment and extend Damen’s engineering capability in this market segment.
Finland was selected as the location because, along with Italy, Germany and France, it is one of the leading countries in the world in the design and build of cruise and ro-pax vessels; this in combination with particular expertise in ice-class vessels, a growing segment of the cruise market.