From 2013 to 2021, Wasaline safely transported passengers and goods aboard M/S Wasa Express across the Kvarken strait between Vaasa and Umeå – the northernmost year-round ferry crossing in the world. As we celebrate our 190th anniversary, we salute the services of this cherished ferry that has bridged regions and communities.
The 140-metre-long Wasa Express, completed in 1981 at the Wärtsilä shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, is powered by four Wärtsilä Vasa 12V32 main diesel engines and two Wärtsilä Vasa 4R32 auxiliary engines, as seen in these pictures.
Thanks to regular maintenance and upgrades these engines are still in service today, a record-breaking 40 years after being installed! Yet, this is not the only impressive record it has under its belt. Its auxiliary engines have clocked up well over 200,000 hours of operation, which is a remarkable achievement in the shipping industry.
In addition, several upgrades and improvements over the years resulted in a 20% reduction in the vessel’s greenhouse gas emissions.
All good things come to an end, and in 2021 Wasaline bid farewell to the Wasa Express and welcomed its state-of-the-art replacement, the Aurora Botnia. With a host of advanced solutions onboard (including Wärtsilä 31DF engines), the new vessel cut its total CO2 emissions by more than 50% during its first year in service.
Aurora Botnia has more weekly departures than its predecessor Wasa Express. Therefore, it has cut its average emissions per departure even more – by 67.2%. The calculations are based on Wasa Express’s first year in service, 2013.
Wasaline's original vision was to provide a ‘floating bridge’ between Vaasa and Umeå, and it has managed to keep this bridge open and running smoothly thanks to good collaboration with partners, a good crew, robust and reliable engine technology and excellent maintenance management supported by a lifecycle agreement.
