Meyer Turku today delivered the LNG-powered ferry Megastar to Tallink.

The Megastar will set a new standard for ferries on the Helsinki-Tallinn route by customer comfort and environmentally friendly technical operation, said Meyer Turku, in a prepared statement. The ship starts operation on Jan. 29. 

The Megastar is not just powered by LNG, but the ship also has an “extremely advanced” hull shape resulting in substantial fuel savings during the ship’s operation.

Tallink Grupp CEO Janek Stalmeister explained the full vision for their 230-million euro investment:

“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,” he said. “At Tallink we have been researching what our customers want in a next generation ferry. Then we worked closely with Meyer Turku on a fresh and functional design of the ship and I am sure the outcome will please all our customers. We are very thankful to Meyer Turku for listening carefully to our wishes and building an excellent ship for us. Delivering this ship full of latest environmentally friendly technologies and exceeding our expectations in fuel efficiency and increased comfort level with low vibrations Megastar nicely demonstrates the excellence and quality of Meyer Turku and Finnish shipbuilding.”

Added Meyer Turku CEO Jan Meyer: “We started Megastar by imagining how a new design can again bring a next level of improvements to ferry operation. It follows over a year of design work that is closely linked and partly overlapping with the pre-production, assembly, fine-tuning and testing the ship. Yet the big moment of hard truth comes in the end, when we are delivering one large and sophisticated ship, like we did today with Tallink Megastar – a product of great team work that is bigger than all the individual efforts.”

The Megastar will also increase the standard for car passengers. Double level loading and wider car deck access will improve the loading and unloading time. There is a so-called supermarket type of parking garage accessible during the voyage which will add convenience to travelers who take advantages of the Megastar’s shopping possibilities.

Megastar is 212 meters long and with capacity for 2,800 passengers. Her service speed is 27 knots. Megastar uses LNG as fuel, but is also able to run on marine diesel. The Megastar was co-financed by European Union, the Connecting Europe Facility, Transport – Motorways of the sea.