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World’s Greenest Ferry Has Cut Carbon Emissions by More Than Half During Its First Year

In the fall of 2021, the Finland-based shipping company Wasaline was introducing what it claimed to be “the world’s most environmentally friendly passenger vessel,” the Aurora Botnia. One year later, the results seem to exceed even the most optimistic expectations, despite some difficulties.
Aurora Botnia was introduced at the world's most environmentally-friendly ferry in its class 7 photos
Photo: Wasaline
Aurora Botnia FerryAurora Botnia FerryAurora Botnia FerryAurora Botnia FerryAurora Botnia FerryAurora Botnia Ferry
Aurora Botnia was meant to become the greenest ferry in its class. Designed with a dual-fuel propulsion system that can operate on conventional diesel, as well as two green alternatives – LNG (liquefied natural gas) and biogas, the Aurora Botnia was a trailblazer at the time of its launch, last year.

Big enough to carry 800 passengers, and boasting a capacity of 1,500 lane meters for cars and other cargo, the dual-fuel ferry started operating between Vaasa, in Finland, and Umea, in Sweden. This is an important route in the area, with ferries operating on it since the 1940s.

The new ferry was carefully monitored throughout its first year of service, and the feedback looks promising. Wasaline claims that CO2 emissions were cut by 51,8% during this period, compared to the predecessor Wasa Express.

In fact, this percentage is even higher, considering that the new Aurora Botnia also completed more weekly departures than the old Wasa Express. According to Wasa Line, this totals to more than 67% reductions in toxic emissions.

In terms of volume, this translates to a drop from 22,000 metric tons to 11,000 tons. Average emission levels per departure are now down to 9.7 tons, compared to 29.5 tons previously.

What’s even more remarkable is that these results were achieved despite a significant bump in the road. Peter Stahlberg, MD of Wasaline, stated that they were unable to use LNG for all of Aurora Botnia’s operations, due to the record-high market prices. When LNG will become more affordable, CO2 emissions could be lowered even more.

However, this was Aurora Botnia’s first year of service, so there’s plenty of time to do even better and inspire similar positive changes in the industry.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
Otilia Drăgan profile photo

Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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