Finferries wins road ferry contract in Finland with €100 million lower bid

Finferries, the company operating ferry services in Finland, will continue to provide road ferry transportation in the Lake District, which currently includes 12 ferries. As a state-owned entity, Finferries manages ferry, local ferry, and connection vessel traffic across 51 routes in Finland, and it is the current operator of the ferries in the Lake District.

The regional Ely Centre for Varsinais-Suomi first awarded a contract for road ferry services spanning from 2026 to 2046 in 2021, which was won by Norwegian company Torghatten Nord. Finferries contested this decision in the Market Court, citing that the Norwegian operator would not be able to deploy ferries at the traffic locations. Following this, the Ely Centre reopened the contract bidding process.

This time, Finferries won the contract with a bid approximately €100 million cheaper than the Norwegian offer. Their proposal for renewing road ferry services amounts to €235 million. According to Tapani Jaakkola, a road engineer at the Ely Centre, the significant price difference can be attributed to the tender allowing the recycling of parts from older ferries in the construction of new ones, reducing environmental impacts.

The decision will take effect on October 25, unless contested prior to that date.

In terms of new ferry capacities, improvements will be implemented across several locations. Notably, the ferries’ load capacities will increase from 60 tons to 90 tons at multiple sites, and from 44 tons to 90 tons in others. The standard current ferry capacity in Finland is typically 60 tons, but the minimum after renovations will be raised to 90 tons. This adjustment accommodates larger vehicles, as Finnish road regulations permit vehicles weighing up to 76 tons.