Naming ceremony of STX double ended ferry

The new generation road ferry was named Stella in front of representatives of Suomen Lauttaliikenne Oy, STX Finland and Bureau Veritas. The construction of the vessel began in December 2011 at STX’s Rauma Shipyard.

The 65m vessel is double ended so is capable of running in both directions and can accommodate 250 passengers, three tandem trailers and 39 cars. It will operate in Turku archipelago, Finland, on the Korppoo to Houtskari route. The region’s harsh ice conditions set special requirements on the vessel’s performance and so particular attention has been paid to the ferry’s energy efficiency and safety.

Mats Rosin, CEO, Suomen Lauttaliikenne Oy, said: “Stella will make the everyday life of those in need of moving around in the archipelago easier for several decades to come. This modern road ferry has been designed taking account of the needs of both the passengers and the environment. Built with Finnish professional competence, this ferry is a concrete example of the fact that heavy investments must be made in maintaining the viability of archipelago areas, today and in the future.”

The delivery also included three floating link spans to help with rapid loading of the ferry.

Stella will begin operation at the beginning of 2013.