Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Port, Transport

The vessel launched in Turkey, Leiger, is already fitted with all vital equipment from engines to cables.

The CEO of TS Laevad, Kaido Padar, said the ferry was launched into a floating dock with the help of tugboats in a procedure that took about 22 hours.

"In the floating dock construction work will continue," Padar said in a press release.

The Leiger, which weighs 2,800 tons by now, is fitted with all pieces of principal equipment such as engines, frequency converters, pumps, air conditioners and boilers. In addition some 11,000 meters of pipes, 40,000 meters of cables and over 8,500 square meters of isolation material have been installed.

Some 45,000 square meters of the ship's external surface has been cleansed and covered with primer, Padar said.

The new ferries are 114 meters long and have a capacity of 150 cars or 12 full-size trucks. They will carry rescue equipment for 700 passengers and have seats for 500 passengers on two decks.

The new ferries are scheduled for delivery in the second half of the summer of 2016 and will start serving the island routes on Oct. 1. The Leiger will serve the Rohukula-Heltermaa line connecting Hiimaa Island with the mainland.