Construction of Finnlines 2nd ro-pax begins

Steel cutting, the beginning of construction of the Finncanopus, was celebrated at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China on Friday, said a press release.

Finncanopus is the second vessel in the Superstar ro-pax series.

Construction of the first vessel, Finnsirius, started earlier this year. A total of two Superstars have been ordered.

The newbuilding programme proceeds and so-called mock-ups have been built of cabins, as well as public spaces, to check and test the quality and fine-tune details.

One of the shipbuilding traditions, keel-laying of Finnsirius, will be the next milestone in April 2022.

The frequent travellers on the Finland–Sweden line will enjoy their own lounge, sauna and laundry in the vessel.

Finnlines has successfully combined the carriage of freight and passengers. When the new Superstar vessels enter traffic, the number of passengers will double.

The interior has been designed to meet the needs of diverse customer segments and there will be more cabin categories than on Finnlines’ other ro-pax vessels.

Passengers will have access to several restaurants, lounges, cafés, a spa and a gym. The spacious duty-free shop of around 400 m2 will have an extensive selection of goods.

Finnlines is in the process of implementing its EUR 500-million eco-efficient newbuilding programme, which consists of three hybrid ro-ro vessels and two ro-pax vessels.

The first ro-ro vessel is scheduled to be delivered this autumn and the following two in early 2022, whereas the deliveries of the ro-pax vessels are planned to take place in 2023.

“We are pleased to note that despite the long-lasting pandemic, our newbuilding programme has proceeded as scheduled. We will be proud to introduce the next-generation ro-pax vessels, which have capacity for around 5,200 metres of rolling cargo and can accommodate 1,100 passengers. At the same time, the vessels will offer a comfortable and sustainable way to travel,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Finnlines.