Tallink christens LNG fueled ferry at Meyer Turku

Tallink LNG shuttle Megastar naming: The ship's Godmother, former President of Finland Tarja Halonen, with Tallink Grupp CEO Janek Stalmeister

JULY 1, 2016 — Estonia’s Tallink Grupp today christened its LNG-fueled fast ferry Megastar in a ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

The ship was christened by former president of Finland Tarja Halonen.

Tallink Grupp CEO Janek Stalmeister said that the process of completing the ship is now almost half way complete.”The ship as such is coming together and so are the new and innovative services we are preparing to surprise our passengers with,” he said. “We are also very honored to have President Halonen as the Godmother.”

Meyer Turku CEO Jan Meyer said, “The interesting part of our type of shipbuilding is that we have demanding customers that push the boundaries – also for the environment. So we are very happy that today our latest LNG ferry is taking shape and, after one and a half years of design and production work, is starting to look like a ship.”

Steel cutting for Megastar began on August4, 2015, the keel was laid on February 9, float-out out is planned for later this month, with sea trials in the last months of 2016. Delivery by the shipbuilder is expected at the beginning of 2017.

The ship will combine a comfortable fast ferry service, open-layout dining areas, and choices of lounges and shopping solutions.

Passenger comfort is enhanced by two-level loading, with passenger vehicles and large cargo units entering and exiting from different levels, whih also makes the car-deck logistics easier.

The 49,000 gt Megastar will be 212 m long and will accommodate 2,800 passengers , thus having the same length and capacity as the largest cruise ferry in the Tallink fleet, the Baltic Queen. Service speed will be 27 knots.

Designed for the Tallinn-Helsinki route exclusively, Megastar will comply with the current and future emission regulations for ECAs, including the Baltic Sea.