Rauma Shipyard waved off Spirit of Tasmania V RoPax ferry designed for challenging seas

An historic moment was today witnessed at the Rauma Shipyard when the second Spirit of Tasmania RoPax ferry started the voyage towards her home port Devonport. The start of this voyage was a symbolic conclusion for the largest single export contract ever between Finland and Australia. Officially the vessel was delivered to the client already in June of this year.

Bob Moss, the Master of the Spirit of Tasmania V, was also at the helm of sister ship Spirit of Tasmania IV on her voyage to Tasmania earlier this year.

– Spirit of Tasmania vessels are technologically advanced in almost every respect. They are extremely powerful and nimble manoeuvrable, commented Master Mariner Bob Moss, praising the craftsmanship and dedication of the Rauma shipyard.

The car and passenger ferries built by RMC will be used on the open sea route between Geelong and Devonport in Australia, in the Bass Strait known for challenging navigation conditions for which they were specifically built. The vessels replace their sister ships built in Finland in the 1990s. The new vessels provide clearly higher passenger, vehicle, and cargo capacities than their predecessors. The employment impact of the project was more than 3,500 direct person-years.

– RMC has during the ten-year history of the company built five car and passenger ferries, the two Spirit of Tasmania RoPax vessels being the most recent ones. We specialise in building vessels for navigation in demanding conditions and the four multi-purpose corvettes of the ongoing Squadron 2020 project are also designed for challenging seas. There could not be better testimony to the capabilities of our personnel to successfully complete different types of total deliveries in good cooperation with demanding partners, RMC’s CEO Mika Nieminen gives praise.

In addition to the four multi-purpose corvettes currently under construction for the Finnish Navy as part of the Squadron 2020 project, RMC is making preparations for the icebreaker deliveries to the United States which are estimated to have an employment impact of thousands of person years.

– We look forward to the new projects which will give us the opportunity to leverage the significant investments we have made in the recent years as well as the continuous efforts to strengthen our competencies, Nieminen confirms.

RMC believes that when it comes to icebreaking expertise, the company is a strong alternative also in Finnish icebreaker sourcing and in fulfilling the future needs of Nato countries for government vessels. A significant future potential in terms of RoPax vessels lies in the electrification of shipping and RMC has taken steps to prepare for both new build projects and modernisation of existing ships.

Main data on Spirit of Tasmania V vessel:
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