Group of Espoo town councillors would have city buy Finnjet

Use as an accommodation ship suggested

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A group of Espoo town councillors wants the city of Espoo to buy the former high-speed gas turbine ferry Finnjet.
      The motion for purchasing the vessel, currently known as Da Vinci, was made by Kurt Byman (Independent). It has since been signed at least by Martin Saarikangas (National Coalition Party), Timo Soini (True Finns), and Eero Akaan-Penttilä (Nat. Coalition).
      The motion was first reported by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) prime-time current affairs programme Ajankohtainen Kakkonen.
      Those having signed the motion say they want to save Finnjet from going to the scrapyard. The vessel has been sold for scrap, but its new buyers are willing to consider an alternative plan, if the price is right.
     
The legendary passenger vessel would suit perfectly as a floating hotel with a minimal staff, Saarikangas explains.
      Finnjet could be rented out as temporary accommodation for example for workers of the new nuclear power plant, Saarikangas envisions.
      Saarikangas points out that the vessel was last used as temporary housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. It has 600 cabins with a total of nearly 2,000 beds.
      Affordable temporary accommodation could be offered for example to refugees and researchers, and the ship could be moved wherever the need for its services emerged.
     
Saarikangas, who is also known as a shipbuilder, believes that Finnjet - which is still under the threat of being broken up - could be had for EUR seven million.
      Brought to Finland, Finnjet would come with a total price tag of around EUR ten million, Saarikangas calculates.
      A mooring place should be found for the vessel, and the cleaning and possible repair work would also go into the total cost.
      As a floating hotel, though, the ship would quickly pay itself back and then start making profit, Saarikangas believes.
     
”I believe this would be a profitable business venture. With a moderate investment we could get seriously good revenue for the city”, Saarikangas foresees.
      “The housing ship could be situated for example in the Suomenoja marina in Espoo”, Saarikangas ponders but then quickly adds: “Then again, it may not be quite deep enough for Finnjet.”
      Alternatively, the vessel could be moored in Helsinki or Inkoo. A housing vessel would in any event require a port with necessary electricity connections and sewage treatment facilities.
      According to Byman’s plans, Finnjet would first be situated in Helsinki, until the refitting of the Suomenoja marina was completed.
      “In Suomenoja the cost of upkeep would be minimal, as both a power plant and a wastewater treatment facility are near by”, Byman estimates.
     
Finnjet’s fate remains uncertain.
      The Turkish shipbroker MSK Maritime Services & Trading Ltd, which is registered in the Marshall Islands, has looked for a new use for the vessel.
      In mid-May it was reported that that two interesting offers had been made for the vessel. In both cases the vessel was aimed for use as a passenger ship.
      On Wednesday it was said that the shipping company Stella Company Group had shown an interest in purchasing Finnjet for traffic between Helsinki and St. Petersburg.
      “Scrapping the vessel would be a great shame, for it would make a great housing boat. It has good accommodation facilities for 700-800 people. The cabins are of similar quality as on the car ferries plying between Finland and Sweden”, Saarikangas explains.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnjet might not be scrapped after all (15.5.2008)
  GTS Finnjet headed for breaker´s yard (7.5.2008)
  Finnjet houses Katrina evacuees (20.12.2005)

Links:
  GTS Finnjet (Wikipedia)

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