KfW IPEX-Bank to finance hybrid ro-ro vessel for Finnlines

• Latest technology for lowest emissions
• Equipment mainly from German and European exporters
• Deployment on North and Baltic Seas

KfW IPEX-Bank and Finnlines Plc, a Grimaldi Group company, have signed a EUR 40 million loan agreement to finance a hybrid ro-ro vessel. The ship is one of three identical new vessels ordered by Finnlines from the Chinese Nanjing Jinling Shipyard and designed for flexible “rolling” cargo such as trailers and trucks. The equipment for the ferries will mainly be supplied by German and European exporters. The investment costs total around EUR 200 million.

The modern and environmentally friendly vessels were designed in cooperation with marine design experts from the traditional Danish company Knud E. Hansen. The vessels will be built with the latest technology to ensure the lowest CO2 emissions. In addition to lithium-ion batteries that enable zero-emission operations in port, they will be equipped with the latest generation of engines that ensure the lowest fuel consumption and lowest emissions. Once delivered in 2021-2022, the vessels will be deployed on the busy North and Baltic Sea routes, where they will be among the most modern and environmentally friendly ro-ro vessels.

“We are very pleased to have acquired Finnlines, another prestigious roro/ropax operator on the North and Baltic Seas, as a customer whose commitment to environmentally friendly and sustainable ferry transport we are happy to support,” said Andreas Ufer, the Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank responsible. “For us, this project is another step in our plan to finance sustainable projects in the shipping industry.”

The new vessels will be 238 metres long with a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane metres. In addition, car decks have a capacity of 5,800 m2 and the weather deck about 520 TEU. They will be able to transport all kinds of ro-ro cargo and have the highest Swedish-Finnish ice class. In addition to the environmentally friendly hybrid drive, the ferries will be equipped with other state-of-the-art technologies and innovative solutions such as air lubrication system to reduce hull resistance and energy-saving propeller-rudder system.