Minister of Transport Merja Kyllönen inaugurated Gaiamare Ltd's new multipurpose deck cargo vessel at a ceremony held in Turku on 5 June. The ship, with its length of 105 metres and width of 19 metres, became the world's largest vessel designed to use environmentally friendly bio-oils as fuel.
"This is a significant step forward in the history of Finnish maritime transport. We now have to invest in cleaner maritime transport, and this new bio-oil powered ship meets all existing and foreseeable emission requirements both at EU level and internationally," Minister Kyllönen said at the inauguration ceremony.
Gaiamare's cargo vessel is powered by low-carbon engines designed to use bio-oils as fuel. In the planning process, effort was made to reduce the ship's adverse effects on the environment, to improve maritime safety and to boost energy-efficiency.
"I believe that these qualities will make the vessel a true flagship for the future. Its oil recovery equipment represents courage and a multipurpose approach," Minister Kyllönen said.
The multipurpose deck cargo vessel is suited for a wide range of operations. It has oil recovery capacities to respond to any oil spill accidents. In normal conditions the ship will be used in commercial operations, but in the event of an oil spill, it can be quickly fitted with oil recovery equipment and moved to the accident site.
The vessel will be used primarily in the northern Baltic Sea.
Gaiamare's cargo vessel is part of the environmental aid scheme for Finnish vessels. In December 2010, the Ministry of Transport and Communications granted EUR 2 million to Gaiamare Ltd for vessel investments improving the level of environmental protection.
Further information: Mr Tero Jokilehto, Director of the Transport Market Unit, tel. +358 295 34 2568
