According to Lauri Haavisto, the managing director, polar and expedition cruisers have provided a large amount of work recently. Foreship has been involved in more than ten polar and expedition cruiser projects in different parts of the world, either as the designer or as a consultant to the shipping company.
“In fact, very few ship owners ultimately operate polar-class passenger ships in the ice. The name has achieved an established status in accordance with the IMO’s polar code among vessels that are capable of operating in different types of icy conditions,” says Haavisto.
One car-and-passenger ferry that is highly capable of operating in the ice is a new build for Wasaline. Foreship has been involved from the very start, serving the ship owner as a technical consultant and designer.
The ferry will traffic the Kvarken link between Sweden and Finland, and it is a prime example of a vessel built to withstand harsh conditions. It must be able to operate to a tight schedule in narrow, freezing fairways and often in bad weather conditions.
“New-build projects begin with a meeting with the shipping company to identify the various resources, such as the transportation requirement and vessel type, and the engine equipment and fuel alternatives,” Haavisto said. “The very first output of the meeting is often just a single sheet of A4, and the project develops from there.”
“The shipyard only enters the picture once the client has conducted a competitive tendering process.”
Wasaline’s vessel will be built by RMC, a Finnish company based in Rauma.
Foreship has around 100 ship designers on its payroll, and they work all around the world. The company has participated in design and conversion work on vessels for cruise shipping companies such as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and cargo-and-passenger shipping companies such as TT-Line.
Foreship has subsidiaries in the USA and Estonia, and its net sales were approximately EUR 12.6 million last year. The private company is owned by its personnel and executive management.
