Tallink names its new LNG powered ferry Megastar
Tallink`s new LNG powered fast ferry delivered in 2017 will be named Megastar, the company has announced. The name was chosen among 21 550 name proposals submitted to the public name contest.
The keel-laying ceremony of the new vessel will take place at the Meyer Turku Yard in Finland on February 9.
According to the Chairman of the Board of AS Tallink Grupp, Janek Stalmeister the name enables to maintain the unity among the names in the Tallink Shuttle fast ferry family, which includes the Star and the Superstar. "As Megastar will be among the largest of her kind in the world, this name expresses perfectly the characteristics of the ship. It is also easy to pronounce in Estonian, Finnish and other languages. As there were so numerous entries with that name, we also see it as the wish of many of our passengers“, Stalmeister said, explaining that the name was proposed by more than 300 times as part of the naming competition. Altogether there were 14,200 entries from Finland, 5,300 entries from Estonia and 2,050 entries through the international website.
The production of the new LNG powered fast ferry started in Meyer Turku Yard in Finland on August 4.
The price of the ship is 230 million Euros and it is planned to be delivered in the beginning of 2017.
Megastar will be 212 meters long, can accommodate altogether 2,800 passengers and will start operating on Tallinn-Helsinki route.
The new environmentally friendly ship uses LNG as fuel and she will comply with the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas including the Baltic Sea. The ship, with a gross tonnage of 49 000 and service speed of 27 knots, will bring significant improvement in energy efficiency. The highly innovative hull form minimizes the flow resistance and ensures that the ship operates well in ice conditions.