Smyril Line orders two e-methanol-ready RoRo ships in China

Faroese shipping company Smyril Line has signed a contract with China’s shipbuilder CIMC Raffles for the construction of two environmentally friendly roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships.

The new cargo ships will join Smyril Line’s current network and are planned to start sailing in 2026.

Measuring 190 meters in length and having 3,300 lane meters for trailers, the ships are designed for optimal year-round seaworthiness in the North Atlantic. The ships are being designed in close cooperation with Danish naval architecture firm Knud E. Hansen which together with the extensive experience of Smyril Line in the North Atlantic, will ensure that the ships are built for the special route between Europe, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland, meeting all international emission standards.

Compared to the company’s existing fleet, they will emit significantly less per transported ton. At the same time, the ships will be equipped with a battery system and the possibility for shore power, which means that port operations can be conducted without emissions.

The ships will also be prepared to sail on e-methanol, which is considered to be the best future choice for green energy at Smyril Line.

“Now is the time to set ourselves new and bigger goals towards reducing emissions in the North Atlantic,” Jens Meinhard Rasmussen, CEO of Smyril Line, pointed out.

“The company’s main goal is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of both passengers and cargo, and to connect the periphery of the North Atlantic with the rest of the world. With the new ships, we emphasize futureproofing and leading the company towards a greener energy solution and lead the way for Smyril Line towards the goals for decarbonization in our fleet renewal, supporting the green transition of the shipping industry,” he added.

“We will also transport much larger quantities of cargo with less energy consumption than we do now. The energy saving will be at least 60%. This is an important step for us to achieve our goals towards net-zero emissions by 2050, while we can offer our customers an even better service. We have been operating routes in the North Atlantic since 1982. This is not just one of the world’s longest ro-ro and ro-pax routes, but probably also the one with the most challenging sailing conditions. We know from experience that sailing on our route places great demands on both ship and crew, and we have therefore designed the ships with this in mind,” Rasmussen concluded.

Several months ago, Smyril Line purchased the RoRo vessel Seagard from Finnish shipping company Bore.

The vessel was delivered to the company in January 2024 and was renamed Glyvursnes.

With the latest addition, the company has a total of six vessels in its fleet.