Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has signed its third letter of intent within a short period of time. The newest letter of intent concerns a car and passenger ferry set to operate between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå. The vessel order, with a value of approximately EUR 120 million, will have an impact on employment totalling around 800 person-years. The formal construction agreement is to be signed in early 2019, with the design and construction work set to start immediately thereafter, says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO of RMC.

”RMC won the public international tender thanks to our expert knowledge and technology. RMC specialises in the design and construction of car and passenger ferries. We are therefore both pleased and proud to have showcased our competence in this area. We are also very grateful for the confidence that the customer has shown in RMC, having commissioned this ferry from us.”

The vessel order comes at an appropriate time for RMC, seeing as the design and construction will mainly be carried out before the construction of the Tallink Shuttle-vessel begins. The letter of intent for the ferry was signed in October last year.

Vessel running on gas and biogas

The ferry, commissioned by Kvarken Link, will accommodate some 800 passengers and has a freight capacity of 1,500 lane metres for lorries. The vessel will be designed to be environmentally friendly, with a machinery running on a dual fuel and battery solution, and the main source of fuel being liquefied natural gas. The vessel will also be able to utilise, for example, biogas produced in Vaasa.

Car and passenger ferry M/S Hammershus, commissioned by Danish ferry operator Molslinjen, is RMC’s first newbuilding vessel and began operating in September. In comparison to Hammershus, the new ferry between Vaasa and Umeå will be more comprehensively outfitted; it will house more cabin space, as well as a more varied restaurant offering, to name just a few extra touches.

The ferry has an ice class of 1A Super, in order to guarantee that the vessel is able to navigate in the challenging ice conditions of the Kvarken region as independently as possible. RMC’s aim is to ensure the reliability of its vessels in all operating conditions.

Kvarken Link is owned by the city of Umeå and the city of Vaasa, both of whom serve as guarantors of the financing.

Rauma Marine Constructions, which operates from Rauma Shipyard, has seen rapid growth. During autumn, the shipbuilding company has signed letters of intent regarding both a new ferry for Tallink to operate the Helsinki-Tallinn route, and four combat vessels, as part of the Squadron2020 project. In addition, RMC is also currently building blocks for a cruise ship at Turku Shipyard.

Due to the growing number of orders, RMC has actively been recruiting new workforce for the shipyard. The recruitment efforts will continue in the near future, with the aim being to recruit both nationally as well as internationally.

Further photos from the RMC shipyard: https://rmcfinland.fi/contact/media/

Attached Kvarken Link’s pressrelease: Press release 20190111 Final ENG

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 the summer of 2014 in Rauma. RMC specialises in building and servicing multipurpose icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and naval vessels. More information is available at www.rmcfinland.fi.

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command have signed a letter of intent on the main principles and conditions for the construction of four corvettes for the Finnish Navy. Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, RMC, expressed satisfaction regarding the progress, while emphasizing the capacity of Rauma shipyard to construct both commercial vessels, and corvettes for the Finnish Defence Forces.

The Finnish Defence Forces announced the agreement last week and the signing took place early this week, November 2018. The parties have agreed on the price of the vessels, the timetable for the delivery, allocation of responsibilities and issues concerning risk management, amongst other things.

Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, RMC, is pleased that the letter of intent has been signed, as it represents a long-awaited decision, following detailed negotiations between the parties.

“Rauma is a traditional place for building Finnish naval ships. As a Finnish company, we are proud of the trust we have gained and that we have the honor to continue this tradition. We have also strengthened our organization in recent years and will continue to do so in order to ensure that RMC has the best and most experienced core of specialists in Europe, especially for these types of projects.”

In 2017, Rauma Marine Constructions received authorization from the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command to execute a significant share of the basic design of the multi-function corvettes. The rest of the design will be implemented after the vessels’ main equipment has been tendered and selected. The contract for the construction of the vessels will be signed in early 2019.

In further news, in October, RMC and Tallink also announced a letter of intent for a new high-speed car and passenger ferry between Helsinki and Tallinn. According to Heinimaa, the shipyard is equipped to fit several different projects simultaneously.

“Tallink’s car and passenger ship will be delivered at the end of 2021, and the construction of the corvettes will begin in 2020 and last until 2027. The commercial vessels and the corvettes are built alongside one another, but kept completely separate, not least for security reasons,” Heinimaa emphasizes.

Rauma Marine Constructions is currently seeking more employees, as the company expects to grow significantly in the coming years due to its new orders. The company aims to become a world-leading shipyard.

Additional information and interview requests:

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

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, Rauma Marine Constructions
+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.

Shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has appointed the chairman of the board, Jyrki Heinimaa, to be the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 01.12.2017 onwards. In addition to Heinimaa, RMC has also elected a new COO, chairman of the board and member of the board. Organizational changes are a part of the company’s new growth phase, with ambitions that include the deal for the Squadron 2020-project, business growth, the strengthening of RMC’s unique know-how, as well as continued development of the network-based business model.

“Rauma Marine Constructions’ growth story has been phenomenal from the beginning,” says Jyrki Heinimaa, incoming CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions. “The changes in management are a natural consequence of the next growth phase of the company. At this stage, the challenges the company faces are different from those at the start-up phase. It is, therefore, the right time to strengthen and develop the management of RMC according to the requirements set by the new phase. Private sector funding has a crucial role to play in enabling growth, and ensuring private funding in future projects will be essential to RMC’s growth.”

Most recently, Heinimaa was the Group CEO of the Hollming group of companies. Prior to this, Heinimaa’s career includes many years  in the shipbuilding industry, holding management positions in ship finance, in particular.

As a part of the larger organizational change, there will be a number of other new names in RMC’s management. Timo Suistio, CEO, BMH Technology, has been appointed to the new  COO position. Suistio’s strong project management skills will support the company’s direction towards larger and more challenging ship projects. Current member of the board and CEO of Vientistrategit Oy, Mikko Niini, will become the new chairman of the board. Furthermore, the board has appointed a new member, Pekka Vataja, previously the director of Danske Bank’s large companies unit, and one of the founding partners of Sagacitas Finance Partners.

Rauma Marine Construction’s current CEO, Heikki Pöntynen, will leave the company.

“Having overcome the shipbuilding crisis and successfully managed the start of a new company, I now feel it is time to leave my position as CEO,  and leave the strong company that RMC has now become. I will be following RMC’s future development with great interest and excitement,” says Pöntynen.

Heinimaa thanks Pöntynen for his determined and successful managing of the business.

“During his time as CEO, the company has grown and developed into a shipbuilding company that is now aiming to secure a billion-euro shipbuilding contract with the Finnish Defence Forces,” says Heinimaa.

In other news, the construction of the car and passenger ferry for Danish shipping company, Molslinjen A/S, is proceeding as planned at Rauma Marine Constructions. The 158-meter ferry will be launched at the shipyard before Christmas. The refurbishment and modernization of the Finnish Environment Institute’s (SYKE) marine research vessel, ‘Aranda’, is also underway at the shipyard. The repairs will involve a seven-meter extension to the vessel, as well as the implementation of an  all-electric power transmission, which will enable the underwater noise emitted by the ship to be significantly reduced.

Seeing the letter of intent is realized, Rauma-based shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions will build four vessels capable of operating in ice conditions for the Finnish Defence Forces.

The Logistics Command of the Finnish Defence Forces will look into the prospects of Finnish-owned shipyard company Rauma Marine Constructions acting as the ship building partner for the Squadron 2020 project. The Logistics Command will ensure in cooperation with RMC it’s shipyard capacity, security of supply and other building prerequisites for combat vessels. More than 80 domestic and international suppliers responded to the request for information regarding Squadron 2020.

“On behalf of the company, I am elated and proud of the confidence that the Finnish Defence Forces have entrusted in us with the Squadron 2020 project. We will do everything in our power to make sure this letter of intent eventually results in the building of these naval vessels at the Rauma ship yard”, says Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of RMC.

The letter of intent outlines the building of four vessels capable of operating in ice conditions. The Squadron 2020 vessels are constructed for homeland defense purposes and the detailed composition of the combat system will be clarified as planning progresses. According to Pöntynen, the letter of intent also holds great importance because of its impact on job creation:

“The Finnish Defence Forces trusting our know-how regarding the construction of the new naval combat vessels is a big and significant step for RMC. If the project is realized, the impact on job creation in Rauma will be extensive and long-term.”

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