6 July, 2016 by Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo

Tallink Shuttle christens the ferry 'Megastar', powered by natural gas

The former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, sponsored the christening of the ferry 'Megastar' on Friday, July 1st, built at the Meyer Turku shipyard (Finland) on behalf of Tallink Shuttle. This is a new generation vessel, powered by liquefied natural gas, which will be flagged in Estonia and will cover regular line traffic between the two countries.

The construction of the 'Megastar' is an important reference in the shipbuilding industry from an environmental perspective. Among the innovations it offers, the tanks for liquefied natural gas are integrated into the hull. It will be capable of maintaining a speed of 27 knots, the highest of the ships currently operating in the Gulf of Finland. Passengers will be able to enjoy a series of attractions on board, making the journey particularly appealing.

In the coming weeks, the new vessel will be launched for final outfitting, until sea trials begin and it is officially delivered in early 2017. The Turku shipyard needs space in the large dry dock to start assembling the mega cruise ship 'Mein Schiff 6'.

The name chosen for the vessel 'Megastar' was announced in January 2016, after a public competition. For the command of Tallink's flagship, the company has appointed Captain Vahur Sõstra, 46 years old and a graduate of the St. Petersburg Maritime Academy. Until now, he was in command of the ferry 'Baltic Queen' and has twelve years of captaincy in the Tallink fleet.

It is a vessel of 49,200 gross tons, with a total length of 212.20 m and a beam of 30.6 m. It will have capacity for 2,824 passengers and 176 crew members. The propulsion plant consists of a dual diesel-electric system, with a power of 40,600 kW. The fuel supply will be done by tanker trucks positioned at the ports of Helsinki and Tallinn.