What does it say on the ship?

The final color painting including details of Finnlines’ new Superstar vessels is nearly done. May we introduce the Superstar ships stylish blue and white everyday suit with details?

Finnsirius and Finncanopus start operating in 2023 but are for the moment under construction at the Weihai shipyard. Both ships have been launched and as planned, Finnsirius is slightly more complete than Finncanopus. Although both ships are still unfinished on the inside, the outside looks quite finished. You may recognize familiar elements, such as the Finnlines logo on the side and the letter F adorning the funnel? But what does zero emissions at port mean or why does it say Mariehamn on the stern of the ship? We shall reveal this information to you further on.

Finnlines and the letter F on the funnel

The Finnlines Superstar ships are easy to recognize at the Weihai shipyard, as it says Finnlines on both sides of the ship in giant letters. The letter F is painted in blue, black and white on the funnel.

The name Finnlines was introduced in 1947. At that time the fleet consisted of six steamships. Today, Finnlines is part of the Grimaldi Group.

The picture shows the port side of the Finncanopus with the Finnlines logotype and the logotype F on the Finnsirius funnel.

The Superstar Star

The star is characteristic of the Superstar ship! Finnsirius and Finncanopus are flanked by a fast Superstar star designed by graphic designer Tapani Haapanen.

You can read more about what makes the Superstar ships so great in the previous blog post.

Finnsirius and Finncanopus

Although the ships have not been named yet, we already know them by name. The Finnlines new ro-pax ships are called Finnsirius and Finncanopus. The ship’s name is one of the most important markings. The name is on the hull on both sides of the bow and stern, in a total of four places.

In addition, there will be illuminated nameplates on the outer decks at the forward third of the vessel.

Our previous blog post describes the background to the names of the Superstar ships in detail.

The Figurehead painting and the red bottom of the hull

The bows of the ships in the Finnlines fleet are decorated with a blue and yellow coat of arms-like painting as a figurehead. Waves and an anchor formed by two letters f can be distinguished in the image.

Several ships are red on the bottom of the hull. This is mostly out of respect for history – in practice the bottom could be painted any color. Some of the wooden ships of the past might have had a thin reddish copper coating that prevented unwanted organisms from attaching. Thus, the traditional “red style” is also followed on the Superstar ships.

Finnsirius, the first Superstar vessel to be completed at Weihai’s dry dock, shortly before launching. From this angle you can see, in addition to the figurehead painting, the red color of the bottom and – if you look closely – also the depth of the bow. The red color is painted from the lowest part of the bottom up to 7.6 meters. The rated draft of Superstar ships is 7.1 meters.

Shipyard ID’s W0276 and W0277

When you talk about ships during the construction phase – above all at the shipyard – you use their shipyard ID’s. There may be several ships under construction at the shipyard, even from different shipping companies, so to avoid confusion it is necessary to use a short, precise code.

The shipyard ID of Finnsirius is W0276 and Finncanopus is W0277. The letter W comes from the name of the place, Weihai, which is a coastal city in Shandong Province in China. The Superstar vessels are not the first ro-pax to be built in Weihai: before Finnsirius and Finncanopus, nine ro-pax vessels have been completed at the yard. The shipyard ID is visible, for example, in all ceremonies organized on the quayside. The blue sign says “Finnlines 5100 LM Superstar ro-pax W0277”. The shipyard ID is also visible on the red banner. The picture is from the launching of Finncanopus in December 2022.

The shipyard ID is visible, for example, in all ceremonies organized on the quayside. The blue sign says “Finnlines 5100 LM Superstar ro-pax W0277”. The shipyard ID is also visible on the red banner. The picture is from the launching of Finncanopus in December 2022.

Zero emission in port & Hybrid

The Superstar vessels have been fitted with many emission reduction technologies, such as exhaust gas treatment equipment, heat recovery, air lubrication systems, automatic ship mooring and ballast water treatment.

Various systems, such as lighting, digital screens, ventilation, and kitchen equipment, consume electricity even when the ship is not moving. The words “zero emission in port” and “hybrid” painted on the sides of the Superstar vessels refer to the shore power connection and large battery capacity that enables emission-free port visits. On a traditional diesel-powered ship, the auxiliary engines also thump in port, causing noise and exhaust emissions. The Superstar ships are emission-free when in port.

Mariehamn – The Superstar ships are registered in Finland

All ships have a port of registry written on them. The town of Marieham on the Superstar ships means that it is the official home port of the ships. Finnsirius and Finncanopus are thus registered in Finland and the seamen who work on the ships therefore sign an employment contract based on the Finnish Maritime Labour Contract Act.

Finnsirius and Finncanopus offer work in Finland. In December 2022, Finnlines started a recruitment process where 200 new employees are offered permanent jobs.

The text “Mariehamn” adorns the stern of Finnsirius, which is still under construction.