Gasum to supply bio-LNG to Wasaline's ferry

Finland's Gasum will supply bio-LNG to Wasaline's ferry Aurora Botnia under a pilot project, starting on October 13, 2023, it said on October 3.

Biogas is more expensive than LNG, the current primary fuel of Aurora Botnia, but Wasaline will cover the extra costs on behalf of its customers. The ferry has two cargo decks. It accommodates 935 passengers and has a freight capacity of 1,500 lane meters for trucks and cars. The main source of fuel is LNG. It operates between Vaasa in Finland and Umea in Sweden every day.

"This is a pilot project to measure the interest of our cargo owners and passengers, and whether it is financially viable to continue biogas purchases. We would like to thank our loyal customers who have made this unique investment in climate-neutral transport possible for the first time in the Quarken," Peter Stahlberg, managing director at Wasaline.

Wasaline will start operating with certified biogas one day a week initially, in preparation for the EU emissions trading system that will come into force next year. With four trips on Fridays, 18% of the total weekly departures will be operated with biogas.

“This is a great initiative that we at Gasum are very happy to be a part of in our role as biogas supplier. Biogas is one of the already available concrete pathways to reducing emissions in maritime transport and travel and it’s fantastic that Wasaline is now setting on this pathway to provide lower emissions services to its customers,” said Jacob Granqvist, vice president, maritime at Gasum.