Spirit of Tasmania V delivered to owner – one of largest export deals between Finland and Australia completed

Tasmanian company Spirit of Tasmania (TT-Line Company Pty Ltd) ordered two car and passenger ferries from RMC for operation on the challenging open sea route between Geelong and Devonport in the Bass Strait of Australia. The first vessel was delivered in 2024 and now the Spirit of Tasmania V has also been completed.

– I want to thank the owner for excellent cooperation that has enabled us to together bring this project to a successful end. The vessel represents the strong shipbuilding expertise found in Rauma and demonstrates the capabilities of the Rauma shipyard. I also want to say thank you to our cooperation partners and the Classification Society. Next, we shall proceed towards the production of electric ships, says Mika Nieminen, the CEO and President of Rauma Marine Constructions Oy.

The new high-speed Spirit of Tasmania vessels have been specifically designed for challenging sea conditions and will replace their predecessors built in Finland in the 1990s. They boost significantly higher passenger, vehicle, and freight capacity in comparison to the older vessels.

The total employment impact of the project has been more than 3,500 person years. The project is one of the largest single export deals between Finland and Australia.

RMC is driving the development of electric marine transport

Rauma Marine Constructions has built five car and passenger ferries during its existence. Vessels built by the company include, among others, Aurora Botnia, the northernmost LNG-powered car and passenger ferry in the world, and the Spirit of Tasmania vessels which are now the southernmost LNG-powered car and passenger ferries in the world.

RMC invests strongly in the utilisation of the future energy solutions. The company has headed research projects focusing on the development of electrically operated ships, such as the Decatrip and FUSE projects. As the most recent example, RMC was in the FUSE project tasked with creating the concept for a fully electric ship.

RMC’s current order book extends to the year 2028 and includes four multi-purpose corvettes for the Finnish Navy. The first of them was launched in May and the keel of the second was laid also in May. The Squadron project is estimated to generate the equivalent of 3,600 person-years of employment. The multi-purpose corvettes are expected to become also export products in the future.

Main particulars of Spirit of Tasmania IV:
Length: 212 m
Beam: 31 m
Draught: 7 m
Gross tonnage: 48,000 t
Speed: 26 knots (48 km/h)
Lane metres: 3,700 m
Passengers: 1,800
Cabins: 301

For more information, please contact:
Mika Nieminen
CEO and President
Rauma Marine Constructions

Interview requests: 
Hanna-Kaisa Koskinen,
Rauma Marine Constructions
tel. +358 50 384 3660
hanna-kaisa.koskinen@rmcfinland.fi