Finnlines has decided to lengthen two more of its ro-ro vessels as part of the company's ship lengthening programme.
Finnlines signed an agreement with Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland in April 2017 to lengthen four of its Breeze series vessels, with the option for the extension of two further vessels, as HLPFI reported here.
The first two vessels, Finntide and Finnwave, have already been operating in their extended length; the following two ships, Finnsky and Finnsun, will be lengthened by the end of May 2018.
Lengthening works for the final two vessels, Finnbreeze and Finnsea, will be carried out between September and December 2018.
"These two lengthened vessels in addition to the previous four, will help us meet increased demand and enable us to serve our customers more efficiently," said Tom Pippingsköld, chief financial officer of Finnline.
"This decision to lengthen another two vessels will help us to increase competitiveness and improve efficiency of capital employed on our fleet. This investment is also in line with sustainable development. By increasing our energy efficiency further we will contribute to reducing emissions per transported tonne."
Finnlines said that the EUR70 million (USD85.9 million) extension programme will increase each ship's capacity by 30 percent and result in energy efficiency gains and emission reductions. After the modification, each vessel measures 217.7 m in length.
