NLC Ferry Ab Oy I Pressrelease I 31.3.2021

Vaasa-Umeå car and passenger ferry Aurora Botnia will be delivered in June

Aurora Botnia, which is currently under construction at Rauma Marine Construction’ shipyard in Rauma, will be delivered in June. RMC recently agreed on the revised delivery schedule together with Wasaline, who ordered the car and passenger ferry.

The car and passenger ferry Aurora Botnia, which will operate the route between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå, will be delivered to Wasaline in mid-June 2021. Until then Wasa Express continues to operate the route.

The postponement of the delivery, previously scheduled for May, is intended to ensure that the ship’s commissioning phase can be completed safely, taking into account the coronavirus situation.

The pandemic that has now lasted for over a year, has delayed deliveries of the main equipment, among other things. With the handover taking place in June, we will be able to ensure that the number of employees working on the ship’s finishing and commissioning work can be kept within safe limits,” says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO of Rauma Marine Constructions.

The timetable for the handover of Aurora Botnia was recently agreed upon in good cooperation between RMC and Wasaline.

Together with RMC we have agreed on a revised schedule. For us, it is crucial to have the vessel completed as coronavirus-safely as possible. Given the challenging global situation, the new schedule is acceptable to us,” says Peter Ståhlberg, CEO of Wasaline.

Aurora Botnia’s construction work is currently in the final equipping and commissioning phase, culminating in sea and harbour tests before the ship is handed over. When completed, Aurora Botnia will be the most environmentally friendly car and passenger ferry in the world.

Additional information and interview requests:

Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director, Wasaline, +358 40 5592353, [email protected]

Toni Salminen, Communication expert, Rauma Marine Constructions, +358 41 730 9384,
[email protected]

Owned by Kvarken Link Oy, Wasaline is the northernmost shipping company that transports passengers and cargo daily between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden. Wasaline’s new vessel, under construction in Rauma, will be delivered in spring 2021. For more information: www.wasaline.com 

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) is one of the leading shipbuilding companies in Europe. RMC was formed in the summer of 2014 in Rauma and is wholly Finnish-owned. RMC specialises in building and servicing multipurpose icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and naval vessels. More information is available at www.rmcfinland.fi