Smyril Line orders methanol-ready roro pair from CIMC Raffles

Faroese shipping company Smyril Line has hired the CIMC Raffles shipyard in China to build two new cargo ships for the company.

These are two identical roro ships, measuring 190 meters in length and having 3,300 lane meters for trailers. The new cargo ships will join the company’s current network, and they are planned to start sailing in 2026.

The ships are meant for year-round seaworthiness along a special route between Europe, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland in the North Atlantic. The design of the vessels is done in close cooperation with naval architect firm Knud E. Hansen.

According to Smyril Line, the ships will be environmentally friendly, meeting all international emission standards and compared to the company’s existing fleet, they will emit significantly less per transported ton.

The ships will be equipped with a battery system and the possibility for shore power so that port operations can be conducted without emissions. The ships will also be prepared to sail on e-methanol, which Smyrik Line believes to be the best future choice for green energy.

“[With the new ships we] will also transport much larger quantities of cargo with less energy consumption than we do now. The energy saving will be at least 60%. This is an important step for us to achieve our goals towards net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Jens Meinhard Rasmussen, CEO of Smyril Line.