Knud E. Hansen has signed a contract with Nanjing Jinling Shipyard, China, for developing the Basic Design of three large RoRo vessels, based on the Finnlines / Grimaldi / Knud E. Hansen design.

The vessels are based on the same hull as the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation vessels and are thus sister vessels but customized to the needs of Finnlines with regards to heavy cargo and operation in cold climates. The customization has been developed in close cooperation between Finnlines and Knud E. Hansen.

The vessels, which are expected to be delivered from 2021, will have a length of 238 metres, a beam of 34 metres, and are designed to meet the highest Finnish/Swedish ice class, 1A Super. The design is aimed to be flexible for all types of RoRo cargo with a capacity of 5,800 lane metres and more than 5,000 square metres of vehicle decks.

The vessels will use electricity in port, courtesy of large lithium batteries, thus guaranteeing zero emissions whilst at berth. These batteries will be recharged during navigation, through shaft generators employing a peak shaving system. Additionally, an innovative air lubrication system will be installed to reduce hull resistance using a thin layer of bubbles below the keel.