Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) said it has signed a letter of intent with the ferry operator Kvarken Link for the construction of a dual fuel ferry. 

The vessel commissioned by Kvarken Link, a company owned by the cities of Umeå (Sweden) and Vaasa (Finland), will operate between the two cities.

The order for the vessel is valued at €120 million ($137.7 million) with the formal construction agreement to be signed early this year, with the design and construction work to start immediately.

The ferry will accommodate some 800 passengers and has a freight capacity of 1,500 lane meters for lorries.

The propulsion system will be a hybrid system with a combination of dual fuel (LNG/Biogas and diesel/SCR) and batteries, with the main source being liquefied natural gas.

The ferry has an ice class of 1A Super, in order to guarantee that the vessel is able to navigate in the challenging ice conditions of the Kvarken region.