Tallink Welcomes New LNG-Powered Ferry Megastar

Estonian shipping company Tallink took delivery of its new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered fast ferry Megastar from Finland-based Meyer Turku Shipyard on January 24.

Built under an EUR 230 million investment, Megastar is 212 meters long and capable of carrying up to 2,800 passengers.

Dubbed the most advanced fast ferry in the Baltic Sea, the new vessel is scheduled to start operating between Helsinki and Tallinn from January 29.

“Connecting Finland and Estonia, and even further – Northern Europe to the Baltic States and being the preferred hub for that is an important goal for us. With Megastar, this hub becomes the most modern sea-hub in the region,” Janek Stalmeister, Tallink Grupp CEO, said.

Designed for the Tallinn-Helsinki route, the ferry uses LNG as fuel, but is also able to run on marine diesel, Tallink said.

The company added that the ship will comply with the current and future emission regulations for the Emission Control Areas (ECAs), including the Baltic Sea.

At the beginning of January 2017, Megastar was bunkered with LNG for the first time at the newly opened Skangas LNG terminal in Pori, Finland.