News
Concrete development for Finferries with customer survey
Finferries operates both commuter vessels and ferries on over 40 routes all around Finland. Over 10 million passengers travel by water throughout the year, and summer is the high season for Finnferries.
Last year, Finferries conducted a customer satisfaction survey on all its routes in cooperation with Innolink Research Oy. The feedback received gave rise to both a website renovation and expediting the publication of traffic news. One of the biggest requests was map services, which have been available on the newly renovated webpages since last summer. These map services will allow for the easy search of routes whether travelling in Finnish Lakeland or the coastal areas. Finferries also renewed its system for publishing traffic news so that updates on unusual circumstances will be distributed in real-time as soon as possible.
“This customer survey provided us with clear indicators to guide us in developing our operations. It was also amazing to discover that through the customer survey, our staff received a great deal of positive feedback and clear evidence that their work is appreciated all throughout Finland. We would like to warmly thank all those who took the survey,” says Finferries Communications Manager Jutta Valkeinen.
“It’s wonderful that Finferries scored well in factors which the respondents felt to be the most important. The feeling of safety en route and feeling that you can trust the crew especially ranked high amongst those factors. Furthermore, the passengers gave an average score of 8.4 (on a scale of 1 to 10), which says that you can trust Finnferries,” assesses Katja Rantakeisu, Research Manager of Innolink Research Oy.
Further information: Communications Manager Jutta Valkeinen, jutta.valkeinen@finferries.fi, tel. +358 400 406 614
Christening of oil recovery and commuter vessel Otava at Uusikaupunki shipyard
The Uki Workboat shipyard started production on the newbuilding project in May 2013. This new kind of commuter vessel can be used in possible oil recovery tasks while operating in the archipelago. Otava will operate on the Kotka–Pyhtää route whose distance and challenging icy conditions impose special requirements on the vessel’s performance. The vessel was designed to travel in ice 30cm thick and the ship’s frame was moulded to minimise fuel consumption even through higher waves.
The vessel is equipped with the latest technology and is 34.9 metres long and 9 metres wide. The draught of Otava for commuting is 2.4 metres and 2.65 metres for oil recovery tasks. The vessel has a capacity of 100 passengers and can also transport a lorry or eight cars.
“We are happy that Finferries chose Uki Workboat to manufacture the vessel after extensive competitive bidding. In addition to price, excellent know-how in building archipelago and oil recovery vessels and excellent user experience on vessels built at the shipyard tipped the scales in favour of Uki Workboat,” says Uki Workboat Managing Director Harri Putro.
“People have been waiting a long time for the new commuter vessel for the Kotka archipelago. You can say that Otava was made possible by a mutual spirit of local residents and authorities. The lengthy contract for the Kotka–Pyhtää route, tendered by the ELY Centre for Southwest Finland, made way for a €7.5 million investment for the newbuilding. Our new vessel shows that safety and environmental factors are not taken lightly when it comes to developing the archipelago and other waterway areas,” says Finferries CEO Mats Rosin.
Finferries to commission an all-new commuter and oil recovery vessel
Finferries will receive the vessel in the summer of 2014 after which it will begin operating on the Kotka-Pyhtää route. This newcomer is the first completely new investment in Finland’s commuter ferry operations since 1994. Winning the bid for the Kotka-Pyhtää route made the commission possible. The agreement was signed by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.
CEO Mats Rosin of Finferries says, “This new type of vessel will lead the direction of development in commuter ferry operations. The modern, multifunctional vessel does not only serve passengers, but it also plays a special role in the protection of delicate waterways.”
Equipped with the latest technology, the length of the vessel is 34.9 m, the width is 9 m and it holds a maximum of 100 passengers. The vessel has a capacity to collect a total of 100 mᶟ of oil-polluted sea water at a time. The draft of the vessel is 2.4 m when operating as a commuter ferry and 2.65 m when operating as an oil recovery vessel.
An invitation for tenders was sent to more than ten shipyards. Uki Workboat was a carefully considered choice.
Rosin adds, “The professionals at Uki Workboat have a lot of experience in building similarly sized vessels and custom vessels. We are also very pleased that our partner is a Finnish shipyard, as in our previous new constructions. It is our experience that the quality of Finnish work is some of the best in the world.”
CEO of Uki Workboat, Harri Putro says, “The new vessel type is being built from start to finish at our Uusikaupunki shipyard. The construction of the vessel will bring a total of 50 man years of work to the shipyard, and therefore we are extremely satisfied with the confirmation of the commission. We will do our best to fulfill the requirements and expectations set for the vessel.”