ALMACO has been contracted to build modular cabins for new Spirit of Tasmania ferries

The construction of Spirit of Tasmania’s two newest passenger and vehicle ferries has started at Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) in Rauma, Finland. ALMACO will deliver 764 modular cabins to be built in ALMACO’s Mobile Cabin Factory.

In February 2022, ALMACO was contracted to provide modular cabins for the two newest Spirit of Tasmania ferries for the Australian owner TT-Line Company Pty Ltd. The ferries will both have 382 cabins each, a total of 764 cabins. This includes 301 passenger cabins and 81 crew cabins. The construction of the vessels takes place at RMC (Rauma Marine Constructions) in Finland.

The modular cabins will be built in ALMACO’s Mobile Cabin Factory, which consists of a “popup” cabin assembly line that can be set up anywhere in the world. In this case, the Mobile Cabin Factory will be set up in a warehouse between Rauma and Turku. After completion, the fully finished cabins will be transported to the shipyard, where they will be lifted on-board and plugged into the vessel. The only installation works needed after delivery is to connect the electricity, ventilation, and piping.

The new ships will resemble the current Spirit of Tasmania ferries, but the new design allows the vessels to board more passengers, passenger vehicles, and freight. The capacity of the vessels is 1,800 passengers per ferry and the gross tonnage will be around 48,000 metric tons.
Jussi Laimi, Vice President of Accommodation Newbuild Sales at ALMACO, says, “This will be our first project working with RMC, so it’s a true honor to be chosen for this project. We look forward to setting up our Mobile Cabin Factory and getting started with the modular cabins together with RMC.”

The twin Spirit of Tasmania vessels powered with LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) will operate in the open sea route between mainland Australia and Tasmania. The construction of the hull at RMC started in February 2022. ALMACO will start building the cabins for the first vessel in November 2022 and will deliver them to Rauma Shipyard during summer of 2023. The first vessel will be completed in the first quarter of 2024 and the second vessel in the last quarter of 2024.