On April 8, STX Finland and Finferries signed a contract for the construction of a double-ended ferry to operate in Finland's Turku Archipelago. The ship will be built at STX Rauma shipyard and it will be delivered at the end of 2012.
The ship will be 65 metres in length and 12.8 metres in breadth. The new passenger ferry will operate on the Korpo – Houtskär route, of which the length and challenging ice conditions will set special requirements to the performance of the vessel. In addition, the vessel will be constructed in accordance with the safety regulations defined in the EU shipbuilding directive and it will be the first vessel to reach the new generation safety level.
Particular attention has been given to the double ended ferry's efficiency by minimising the docking time of the vessel by using wide bow and stern ramps and by designing the ferry as a two ended vessel, meaning that it can run both directions. A diesel-electric power plant propulsion engine, which utilises Z-drive rudder propellers at both ends of the ship, was selected as the propulsion for the vessel.
The new double-ended ferry will start to operate at the beginning of 2013 and it will accommodate 250 passengers, three trucks with tandem trailers and 39 cars.