The new LNG driven fast ferry Megastar was christened today in Meyer Turku shipyard. The environmentally friendly ship was christened by former president of Finland Tarja Halonen.
Janek Stalmeister, the CEO of AS Tallink Grupp said, that the process of completing the ship is now almost half way done. “The ship as such is coming together and so are the new and innovative services we prepare to surprise our passengers with that particular vessel in terms of renewing the Tallink Shuttle concept. We are also very honoured for having President Halonen as the Godmother, as this is a high acknowledgement to the ship`s exceptionally developed environmental indicators. Megastar will be a good messanger from that perspective to the whole industry," he added.
“The interesting part of our type of shipbuilding is that we have demanding customers that push the boundaries – also for the environment. So we are very happy that today our latest LNG ferry is taking shape and after 1 ½ years of design and production work starts to look like a ship. Tallink Megastar is custom designed for Tallink’s passengers and is in that sense unique. Hence we are delighted that Tallink has chosen a traditional naming ceremony and even more happy as former president Tarja Halonen is honoring us with her presence,” says the CEO Of Meyer Turku doctor Jan Meyer.
The steel cutting for Megastar started on 4th of August 2015, the keel was layed on February 9th and the float-out and sea-trials are planned for July and the last months of 2016 respectively. The delivery of the vessel is planned to take place in the beginning of 2017.
The ship will combine the comfortable fast ferry service, social eating experience of open-layout dining areas, versatile choice of lounges and well thought through shopping solutions. The passenger comfort is upgraded with two-level loading, enabling the passenger vehicles and large cargo units to enter and exit from different levels, also making the car-deck logistic easier. The upgrade continues with the easy and wide access to passenger areas with different venues, including a quiet sitting lounge. There will be a number of smart services on board.
Megastar will be 212 meters long and will accommodate altogether 2800 passengers having the same length and capacity as the largest cruise ferry of the company, the Baltic Queen. Megastar will use LNG as fuel, but will also be able to run on diesel. With LNG, her environmental performance will improve much by creating no Sulphur or soot particles and decreasing the Nitrogen and CO2 emissions. She will be a 49 000 GT ship with a service speed of 27 knots. Designed for the Tallinn-Helsinki route exclusively, Megastar will comply with the current and future emission regulations for the ECAs (Emission Control Area), including the Baltic Sea.
