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Today, on 5th December 2008, the christening and launching ceremony of the big cruise ferry M/S Baltic Queen ordered by Tallink took place at STX Europe’s shipyard in Rauma. The contract worth 180 million Euro was signed in April 2007. The vessel will start cruises next spring from Tallinn to Stockholm via Mariehamn.
The vessel was christened as "Baltic Queen" by Mea Mehtonen, 4 years old, daughter of marketing director with Tallink Silja Oy Henry Mehtonen.
According to plans, the now launched vessel will start operating on the Tallinn (Estonia) – Stockholm (Sweden) via Mariehamn (Aland) route in spring 2009.
This queen is the fifth sophisticated cruise ferry STX Europe is building for Tallink. In addition, a fast ferry called Star was delivered for Talllink last spring from the Helsinki yard.
"We are proud of Tallink’s confidence in our building competence which has resulted in the long and strong relationship between our companies", says Mr. Martin Landtman, President of STX Finland Cruise Oy.
"STX Europe is the leader in world ferry market. In our new vessels we have special focus on, in addition to reliable quality, ecological alternatives and energy economy" Landtman continues.
Vice Chairman of the Management Board of AS Tallink Grupp Mr. Andres Hunt said, that the vessels is another important milestone in offering the customers of Tallink the best and most reliable service. "Our aim is to really widen the on board entertainment possibilities of our vessels and Baltic Queen is a good example of it. The name – Baltic Queen – will harmonize perfectly with the other vessel on the Tallinn-Stockholm route, Victoria I. We still hold back some fantastic surprises we have planned for the passengers regarding this vessel and those will be revealed, when the vessel is ready to operate," said Hunt.
The 212 metres long and 29 m wide Baltic Queen will be one of the biggest cruise ferries in the Baltic Sea, having capacity for 2,800 passengers. The guiding principle in building the vessel is paying attention to the comfort and luxury of present-day passengers. There will be maximal use of high-tech solutions onboard. 927 cabins, several restaurants and places to entertain of various styles and class as well as a remarkable conference centre with over 450 seats make the new ship a multi functional sea-based hotel with excellent ambience.
M/S Baltic Queen will operate on Tallinn–Stockholm route replacing M/S Romantika. Today, Tallink operates on this route with cruise ferries Romantika (2002) and Victoria I (2004).
An artist´s impression of the vessel (NB 1361) can be found at: www.stxeurope.com - Media centre - Image library - Vessels
The pictures about the christening ceremony are available from 16 a.m. on the address: ftp://ftp.tallink.com – user name: press; password: tallink
For further information, please contact:
Martin Landtman, President, phone +358 50 577 03901
Sinikka Railo, VP Communications, phone +358 40 512 0253
Keijo Mehtonen, Board Member of AS Tallink Grupp, mob: +358 407 490 023
Kadri Land, Managing Director of Tallink Silja AB, phone: +372 53 301 045
Luulea Lääne, Communication Director of AS Tallink Grupp, phone: +372 55 21 296
STX Europe ASA is an international shipbuilding group which aims to be the leading builder of cruise and offshroe vessels. The group has a strong position in terms of developing state-of-the art concepts, technology, processes and products for customers around the world. STX Europe ASA comprises 15 shipyards in Finland, France, Norway Romania, Brazil and Vietnam, and is also a part owner of three yards in Germany and Ukraine. STX Europe has approx. 16,000 employees. Formely known as Aker Yards ASA, the group changed its name to STX Europe in November2008.
STX Europe’s principal shareholder, the international industrial group STX, has approximately 39,000 employees, and aims to be a global top player in its core areas shipping and trade, shipbuilding and machineries, plant and construction, and energy.
The three Finnish yards of STX Europe are in Turku, Rauma and Helsinki.
www.stxeurope.com
AS Tallink Grupp is one of the leading shipping companies in the Baltic Sea region.
The Estonian company employs over 6900 employees and operates on seven different shipping routes between Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Germany. The fleet of the company consists of 19 vessels, including nine recent new buildings. The vessels are operating under the brands Tallink and Silja Line. Tallink also operates the hotel network Tallink Hotels, with three hotels in Tallinn. In 2007/2008 Tallink serviced 7 million passengers and the revenue of the financial year was 786 million Euros.
AS Tallink Grupp is listed on Tallinn Stock Exchange.
www.tallink.com |