AS Tallink Grupp and Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (RMC) have signed a letter of intent to build an environmentally friendly car and passenger ferry for the scheduled service between Tallinn and Helsinki. The ship, with a value of approximately 250 million euros, will be built at Rauma shipyard. Along with signing the letter of intent, RMC will also strengthen its organization and recruit more talent.

The planning of the Tallink Shuttle ship, which will operate on the Helsinki-Tallinn route, will start in spring 2019 and building will commence in 2020. The vessel will be delivered to Tallink at the end of 2021. The new vessel is the biggest newbuild order as of yet for RMC. The passenger capacity of the ship will be 2,800 people. The newest technology and innovative solutions will be utilized in the design phase to ensure that the vessel will be as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.

The letter of intent is significant for RMC, and recruitment of more employees is already underway, says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions.

“This is outstanding news for shipbuilding in Rauma. RMC’s four-year journey has been consistent and the letter of intent with Tallink represents a natural continuation of our development. The order’s impact on employment will total around 1,500 person-years. We will hence recruit a significant amount of new talent to Rauma shipyard in the near future.”

Rauma shipyard has built a total of four vessels for Tallink Grupp over the years. In addition, two more vessels have been designed at the shipyard. Baltic Queen, the previous vessel built at Rauma shipyard, was completed in 2009 and operates nowadays on the Tallinn-Stockholm route.

“We are very pleased to announce that Rauma shipyard’s shipbuilding tradition, together with Tallink, will continue with RMC’s building of a new Shuttle ship. It is a great honor to be signing a letter of intent with our old friends at Tallink who have always shown appreciation for the shipbuilding expertise in Rauma. This is an opportunity for us to utilize our longstanding experience and to help steer the ship traffic between Finland and Estonia in a more environmentally friendly direction,” says Heinimaa.

During the upcoming months, Tallink Grupp and RMC will work on finalizing the contract and financial arrangements.

RMC’s previous car and passenger ferry m/s Hammershus, built for Danish ferry operator Molslinjen, began operating in Denmark in September. The company is also cooperating with the shipyard in Turku on building ship blocks for a large cruise ship.

For more information and interview requests, please contact:

Laura Virtanen, Rauma Marine Constructions
tel. +358 50 528 0068
laura.virtanen@rmcfinland.fi

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) is a wholly Finnish-owned shipbuilding company formed in summer 2014 in Rauma. RMC specializes in building and servicing multipurpose icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and naval vessels. More information available at www.rmcfinland.fi.

Cooperation between ship building company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and Meyer Turku, at Turku shipyard, is expanding with the addition of a new ship block order. The newest order brings the total of ship blocks built at Rauma shipyard to eight. The additional order comes at a good time for RMC, whose first newbuild, a car and passenger ferry ordered by Molslinjen, began operating in Denmark during September.

At the beginning of the summer, the cooperation between RMC and Meyer Turku was announced with the news that Meyer Turku had placed an order from RMC for two blocks for the hull of the cruise ship Costa Smeralda. The cooperation has since been extended, with RMC and Meyer having signed additional contracts for multiple additional blocks. In addition to the two blocks that have already been delivered to Meyer, two blocks are currently being built at the shipyard and contracts for four new blocks have been signed.

“The additional orders are an indication of our successful cooperation with Meyer. The building of these ship blocks will continue late into spring 2019. The cooperation ensures the base load of the ship block factory and also provides valuable experience for future projects,” says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions.

The Costa Smeralda cruise ship will be delivered by Meyer to the owner in autumn 2019.

RMC’s firstborn begins operating in Denmark

Meyer’s ship block order comes at a good time for RMC, with the recent general overhaul of Finnish Environment Institute’s (SYKE) research vessel Aranda, and RMC’s first newbuilding vessel having been completed at the end of the summer. The newbuild, a car and passenger ferry named Hammershus, and built for Molslinjen, began operating in Denmark in September. Hammershus bears a specific significance for RMC, it being the company’s first newbuild vessel.

Over 250 workers were involved in the building process of the 158-meter long and 23.5-meter wide ferry and its impact on employment has totaled around 1,000 person-years. The vessel’s passenger capacity is 720 people, along with 20 crew members.

The car and passenger ferry can travel up to 17.7 knots. It runs on sulphur-free fuel and consumes less fuel compared to previous vessels. This was made possible by the fuel efficient Wärtsilä main engines, as well as the shape of the hull. In addition, the vessel complies with all current and upcoming environmental regulations.

Watch a video of RMC’s first newbuild vessel:

Additional information and interview requests:

Laura Virtanen, Rauma Marine Constructions

+358 50 528 0068

laura.virtanen@rmcfinland.fi

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) is a wholly Finnish-owned shipbuilding company formed in summer 2014 in Rauma. RMC specializes in building and servicing multipurpose icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and naval vessels. More information available at www.rmcfinland.fi.

The research vessel ‘Aranda’, owned by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), has been undergoing a general overhaul at the RMC shipyard in Rauma since last summer. During the conversion, the ship was lengthened by seven metres. The vessel will be handed over to SYKE this spring.

Aranda’s substantial renewal project is approaching its conclusion. During the conversion project, a brand new, 5.4-metre-long section was added in the middle of the vessel. In addition, the vessel’s rear and quarter deck was also reshaped and slightly lengthened. Due to the additional metres, it was possible to enlarge the research and laboratory rooms. When the renovation is finished, the environmental impact of the vessel will be further reduced. Furthermore, with the renovation, SYKE will guarantee Aranda’s optimal operational performance until the 2030’s.

This large renewal project was executed at Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in Rauma, Finland. The project is significant for Rauma Marine Constructions because Finnish state-owned vessels are one of the most important strategic focus areas for the company.

Along with Aranda’s renovation, a Danish vessel is also being constructed at the shipyard. The vessel, ordered by Danish shipping company Molslinjen, will be delivered in June 2018.

More information:

Ainomaija Kylänpää, RMC Finland, +358 40 5376720, ainomaija.kylanpaa@rmcfinland.fi

Time-lapse video: Aranda’s conversion:

Finnish shipbuilding company, Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), has today launched its first newbuilding order; a car and passenger ferry for Danish shipping company, Molslinjen. The 158-meter ferry was launched from the Rauma shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in June 2018.

 Rauma Marine Constructions’ first shipbuilding order, a 158-meter car and passenger ferry for Danish ferry operator Molslinjen, was launched today from the Rauma shipyard. In March 2017, the construction of the ship started, ahead of schedule, and construction has progressed as planned.

 “This is the launch of RMC’s first newbuilding order, and a significant milestone in our company’s history. It is with great pride that we launch the vessel today,” states Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions.

The exterior of the ferry has already been completed. After the launch, the ship will be relocated to a dry-dock for equipment assembly and interior work, followed by trial runs and commissioning. The ship will be delivered to Molslinjen by the end of June 2018.

Construction according to schedule from start to finish

The car and passenger ferry will start operating during autumn 2018. The ship will mostly operate in Denmark and has been designed for use mainly on the Køge (Sjælland) – Rønne (Bornholm) route. However, during summer, it will also operate between Rønne and Sassnitz, Germany.

The ship’s passenger capacity is over 700 people, and it will be able to accommodate around 90 freight trailers. Though the cargo will mainly consist of trucks, the ship can also transport hundreds of passenger cars, if needed.

The ship will be built entirely in Rauma and will have a positive impact on employment totaling around 1,000 person-years. During next spring, there will be approximately 300 employees working on the ship’s equipment outfitting. Rauma Marine Constructions is very satisfied with how the project has progressed.

“Production has been excellent throughout: the ship will be delivered according to schedule and cooperation with Molslinjen has been impeccable,” says Timo Kaskinen, VP, Projects, Rauma Marine Constructions.

Modernization of Aranda progressing as planned

In addition to the launch of the car and passenger ferry for Molslinjen, the Finnish Environment Institute’s (SYKE) marine research vessel ‘Aranda’ was also launched at the Rauma shipyard. The repairs, which involved a seven-meter extension to the vessel, have been completed and the vessel will enter the final outfitting phase next.

The purpose of Aranda’s refurbishment and modernisation is to ensure the ship’s ability to function until the 2030s, while reducing its environmental impact and operating costs. The additional meters will not only facilitate the expansion of research and laboratory spaces, but also the transition to a completely electronic power transmission in accordance with new research requirements. The vessel will be delivered back to SYKE according to schedule during spring 2018.