• February 22, 2021
• News

The new ferry, M/S Aurora Botnia, which will operate the Vaasa-Umeå route [Image Wasaline]

Nordic region energy company Gasum is to build a local LNG customer terminal in Vaskiluoto in Vaasa, Finland, from which tanker trucks will take LNG to customers that include Wasaline, which operates the Vaasa-Umeå ferry route, and Wärtsilä’s new Smart Technology Hub.

Wasaline’s new LNG-fueled ferry M/S Aurora Botnia will start operating later this year, and Wärtsilä Smart Technology Hub will be completed in the fall. Gasum will also be able to serve other customers through the terminal.

“In the City of Vaasa’s Energy and Climate program, the ambition is for the city to be carbon-neutral in the 2020s,” says the Mayor of Vaasa, Tomas Häyry, “The city is committed to the goal of reducing emissions between different actors in the urban area. It’s good news that this cooperation helps us to increase the availability of gas across the Vaasa region. Our cooperation is also an example of how we in Vaasa are combining our expertise in the energy industry and creating cleaner energy solutions.”

“We believe that the use of liquefied natural gas will increase both on land and at sea and that demand for more environmentally friendly fuels will show further growth,” says Vesa Riihimäki, Director, Delivery Management, Wärtsilä Finland.

“The new ferry, M/S Aurora Botnia, which will operate the Vaasa-Umeå route, is nearing completion,” says Peter Ståhlberg, CEO of Wasaline. “Our ship will be the most eco-friendly passenger and car ferry currently under construction. The ship’s engines will run on liquefied natural gas and moving forward also on renewable biogas. The ferry will accommodate 800 passengers and have a cargo capacity of 1,500 lane meters for trucks and cars. Sustainability is increasingly important to our customers and also to the entire Vaasa region.”