“These agreements allow us, among other things, to bring 2 new hybrid ferries to our busiest routes to the Archipelago. Many reorganisations also increase capacity on several routes. It is great that ELY-keskus wants to invest in the development of ferry connections in the long term. This will be positively reflected in the daily lives of our passengers and our staff. Long-term contracts allow for investment in new, environmentally friendly technology”, says Mats Rosin, Managing Director of FinFerries.

The service level of the Parainen-Nauvo route will be increased from 2023, when the corresponding hybrid ferry, upgraded in technology, will start operating alongside the existing hybrid ferry. This increases the ferry's vehicle capacity and reduces CO2 emissions on the route by up to 60%. The two hybrid ferries will provide even better traffic performance than now with three ferries. The new ferry will be powered primarily by battery packs which will be charged by the shore-power connection and backed up by diesel generators.

The capacity of the Nauvo-Korppoo route will be substantially improved when the existing main ferry is replaced by a new hybrid cable-ferry starting in 2023. The capacity of the ferry terminal will increase by more than 60% from the current level of 30 vehicles. At the same time, local CO2 emissions are reduced by more than 60%.

The capacity of the Skåldö route will also improve and the carbon footprint will be substantially reduced, with the current 90-tonne cable-ferry being replaced by a 150-tonne environmentally friendly cable-ferry from 2022 onwards.

The new agreements will also bring bigger ferries to the following routes: Arvinsalmi, Hanhivirta, Palva, Korppoo-Norrskata, Kustavi-Iniö and Bergö.