Tallink Grupp : `s new LNG ferry Megastar ready to set sails on Sunday

Tallink`s new LNG driven fast ferry Megastar delivered to the company by Meyer Turku Oy on Tuesday, 24th of January, is prepared for her maiden voyage from Tallinn to Helsinki on 29th of January at 13.30 local time. Test moorings in both harbours and bunkering in Helsinki has been carried out successfully.

Mr. Janek Stalmeister, the CEO of AS Tallink Grupp said that Megastar will open another era of Tallink Shuttle after the first successful one, which has lasted 10 years from the launching of Star. "The ship is really shaped by our passengers, crew members, the Baltic Sea with its fragile environmental matters and sailing conditions and our own experience as operators. We are excited to introduce her to the wider public and are also glad to apply several equal upgrades also to her companion on the route - Star", added Stalmeister.

The steel cutting for Megastar started on 4th of August 2015, the keel was laid on February 9th, christening and the float-out took place in July and sea-trials in December 2016 and January 2017.

The Godmother of the ship is the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen.

The ship combines the comfortable fast ferry service, social eating experience of open-layout dining areas, and 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. The upgrade continues with the easy and wide access to passenger areas with different venues, including a quiet sitting lounge.

Megastar is 212 meters long and accommodates up to 2800 passengers having the same length and capacity as one of the largest cruise ferries 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 improves much by creating no Sulphur or soot particles and decreasing the Nitrogen and CO2 emissions. She is a 49 000 GT ship with a service speed of 27 knots. Designed for the Tallinn-Helsinki route exclusively, Megastar complies with the current and future emission regulations for the ECAs (Emission Control Area), including the Baltic Sea.

She will start using the new quay in Helsinki, but for another month the passengers still enter and depart through the old terminal. The Port of Helsinki is making efforts to finalize the construction works by the end of February, opening then the new terminal for all Tallink Shuttle passengers.

The cost of the ship is around EUR 230 million and the purchase is financed with a loan of EUR 184 million from Finnish Export Credit Ltd., the credit is guaranteed by Finnish Export Credit Agency "Finnvera" and arranged by Nordea Bank Finland Plc. Megastar is also co-financed by European Union, the Connecting Europe Facility, Transport - Motorways of the sea. The goal of the project is to construct a new environmentally friendly LNG vessel and the EU aid is exclusively for environment friendly and energy efficient solutions on-board the vessel Megastar. Total amount of the Twin-Port 2 project together with partners Port of Helsinki and Port of Tallinn is 97.6 million Euros and the aid is 29.3 million Euros. The total amount of the project of Tallink Grupp is 16 million Euros and the amount of the aid is 4.8 Euros million.

Additional information:
Luulea Lääne, Communications, Tallink Grupp, tel: [phone] or [e-mail]
Tapani Mylly, Communications, Meyer Turku, tel. [phone] or [e-mail]

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