“I am pleased that we have reached an important milestone in the procurement of the fifth ferry. The residents of the islands have been waiting for this decision for a long time. It was important for us that the new ship would meet people’s expectations and the needs of the line in all situations. The offer from the Polish shipyard takes into account the market situation and confirms that competitive dialogue was the right choice for this procurement,” said Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis.

According to the successful tender, the new ferry will be able to accommodate up to 380 passengers, 110 cars, or 8 trucks. In addition, the ferry will have a restaurant. The ferry’s main power source is green electricity, which is charged from the shore and stored in batteries. For emergency situations, the ship also has auxiliary generators running on biodiesel.

The state initially planned the cost of the ship at EUR 41.9 million. Additional funding for signing the contract and starting the shipbuilding process will be provided from CO2 funds. The project will also be financed to the extent of EUR 28 million from the European Union Modernisation Fund.

According to the Public Procurement Act, the best bidder must successfully pass the examination of the grounds for exclusion and the qualification decision before the contract can be concluded. The law also provides for a 10-day procurement contestation period. If these stages are completed successfully, the State Fleet can sign the design and construction contract for the ferry with the company. According to the contract, the ship must be handed over to the customer within 30 months from the conclusion of the contract, which means the ship can be expected to enter service by the end of 2028.

The international design and construction tender for the fifth ferry serving the major islands was announced by the State Fleet on 12 June last year. This was the third tender for the fifth ferry and was organized in the form of a competitive dialogue. At the beginning of September, the State Fleet began negotiations with four European shipbuilders. A total of three rounds of negotiations took place, during which both the shipbuilding details and the contract conditions were refined in order to achieve the best price-quality ratio. By 16 March, two offers had been submitted: one from the Polish shipyard CRIST SA and the other a joint bid from the Estonian company Baltic Workboats AS together with UAB Vakaru Baltijos Laivu Statykla.

© Shippax