Finnlines’ ”Breeze” class ro-ro vessels lengthened at Remontowa SA

As of the end of the first decade of October – the first of the ships to be lengthened has already been cut in two and its new midship section is being integrated with the aft section on a floating dock, while the bow part of the ship, floated, with special stability pontoons added temporarily, awaits at the quay. Late September Remontowa Shiprepair Yard SA saw arrival of the first of four “Breeze” class ro-ro cargo vessels belonging to Finnlines of Grimaldi Group, to be lengthened in Gdańsk. The whole project, i.e. jumboization of the four ferries, is expected to be completed by May 2018. The ships will be lengthened by some 30 m each.

They will be Finnsky, Finnsun, Finntide and Finnwave, built in 2012 and featuring ro-ro lane length of 3291 m each. It will be increased, in result of ships lengthening, by nearly 30 %.

Extensive preparations, including prefabrication and assembly of inserts, have been seen for a couple of months before the first ship – Finntide – arrived.

Finnlines signed a contract with Remontowa SA shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, in march 2017. On May 19 the first steel cutting took place at Remontowa SA, while on June 29, the first steel section for the construction of the insert (midbody) for the first ship to be lengthened in Gdańsk, was laid onboard the Rem Lift 24000 heavy-lift submersible barge. It was the 55 ton double bottom section – the first of 26 “lego blocks” to be assemblied into ship midbody.

As of early September the construction of three inserts was underway with the first steel cutting for the fouth one planned for the same month. Each weighs some 1500 t and is 29.5 m long, 26.5 m wide and 23.5 deep.

The close to 30% capacity increase will considerably reduce the energy consumption per transported unit compared to the original vessel. In other words, it will improve energy efficiency further and thus contribute more to reducing emissions.

Remontowa SA of Gdańsk have been cooperating with Finnlines in conversions and upgrades of their ships for 11 years now. During 2006-2007 the yard upgraded Finnpartner and Finntrader ro-ro vessels, followed by Finnclipper, with the cargo and passenger capacity increased, also by adding new decks.

With one of the largest ro-ro and ro-pax fleets, Finnlines is the leading operator in the ro-ro and passenger transport in the Baltic and the North Sea, offering an extensive network of Motorways of the Sea between Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Great Britain and Russia.

In synergy with the Grimaldi Group, the Finnish Company’s services are connected to the entire Grimaldi network and to the US East Coast via Atlantic Container Line. Finnlines’ passenger-freight vessels offer services from Finland to Germany and via the Åland Islands to Sweden as well as from Sweden to Germany. The Company has subsidiaries or sales offices in Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark and Poland. In addition to sea transportation, the Company provides port services in Finland in Helsinki and Turku, which are the most important seaports in Finland.

PBS, rel (Finnlines, Remontowa)

Photo: Piotr B. Stareńczak