Wasaline’s passenger ferry Aurora Botnia is a masterpiece of cooperation
In 2021, Wasaline’s new passenger ferry Aurora Botnia made its maiden voyage. Built in cooperation with, for example, local energy cluster companies, Aurora Botnia is the world’s most environmentally friendly and energy efficient passenger ferry in its range. It runs on both batteries and fuel, mainly liquefied natural gas. The ship can also utilise biogas. In addition, recycled materials have been used widely in its interior design.
According to Wasaline’s Managing Director Peter Ståhlberg, today’s customers, especially young passengers and cargo customers, pay great attention to the carbon footprint of their decisions.
“On top of having modern energy solutions, the ship provides the shortest sea route from Finland to Sweden, which also helps us reduce emissions. Aurora Botnia gives our customers an excellent opportunity to travel and deliver goods sustainably. In 2022, we broke our passenger records and had a 15 percent increase in cargo volumes.”
Aurora Botnia has two cargo decks and it accommodates around 800 passengers. Designed and built specifically for the Vaasa-Umeå route, it offers a wide range of services for different customer segments from business travellers to families.
“We have invested in the flexible use of passenger areas – such as smart cabins, lounges, restaurants, the bar, and conference rooms. For example, our conference rooms have been very popular, and the number of business customers has multiplied after Aurora Botnia started operating. Close cooperation with local food producers has also helped us create a great dining experience and a well-liked menu”, states Ståhlberg.
Even though the ship is in operation, Wasaline is continuously improving Aurora Botnia’s energy efficiency with its partners, such as Wärtsilä and Danfoss.
“Today, the ship consumes 20 percent less energy than it did in the beginning. In the port, we can now use only batteries and automatically connect to the electrical grid, making Aurora Botnia fully emission-free while docked.”
