Kvarken Link is currently constructing the M/S Aurora Botnia, which will be operated by its subsidiary Wasaline, to replace the Wasa Express in May 2021.
“With our latest acquisition, the Wasa Express, we will be the first operator with a battery hybrid ferry in the Red Sea. In addition to the battery system the vessel is equipped with a number of the latest optimizing equipment in the market, effectively reducing the carbon dioxide footprint,” stated Mohamed Badawy, Chairman and owner of UME Shipping.
After the new Aurora Botnia ferry has entered service on the route between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden, M/S Wasa Express will be shipped to UME shipping in direct continuity. Wasa Express will join the Red Sea services of UME Shipping.
In October, Wasaline said that the 1981-built ferry was equipped with batteries that could supply energy to the most critical pumps on board in a so-called Blackout. This means that with just one generator, instead of two, Wasa Express can now navigate.
Wasaline said that the solution, developed by the creative company eMarine Engineering Nordic Ab, ensures that Wasa Express saves 25 tons of fuel (approx. 80 tons of CO2) per month.
The first-ever RoPax ferry with a Clean Design class notation will be the new ferry. The vessel will be fitted with a hybrid power generation system, as well as a rarely used electric propulsion system for cars and passenger ferries.
In the Kvarken area of the Gulf of Bothnia, the four main engines supplied by Wärtsilä will run on both liquefied natural gas and liquefied biogas, helping to reduce emissions.
Maritime Business World