The deal to build a fifth ferry to service Estonia’s larger islands has been signed.
The design and construction contract is worth just under €50 million and the vessel will enter service late in 2028.
The as-yet-unnamed vessel will be largely financed via the EU’s Modernization Fund, whose conditions require it to be 64 percent more energy-efficient than the current backup vessel, the 55-year-old Regula.
The ferry’s primary power source will be batteries, recharged on shore using renewable-generated electricity, and will have an ice rating of 1B, meaning it can cut through ice up to 60 cm thick.
Cold weather in January and February this year disrupted ferry traffic to even the largest of Estonia’s islands.
Read more: ERR.EE
