Indian daily: Scrapping of Finnjet to commence on Thursday

If the information in an Indian newspaper is to be believed, GTS Finnjet, once the fastest passenger ferry in the world, will accelerate to full speed for the last time on Thursday. During high tide Finnjet, will be driven at full speed onto the sands at Alang in Western India, where cheap labour can then start dismantling the vessel at low tide.
      Previously thousands of ships have met with the same fate, for Finnjet’s final destination is the world's largest breaker's yard for ocean-going ships.
      Finnjet’s fate was reported by the Indian newspaper Daily News & Analysis DNA, which bases its information on sources from the Alang shipyard.
      The daily writes that Finnjet will be demolished by the local Rishi Ship Breakers company, which has bought the vessel from its Liberian owners. According to the paper, the uneconomical Finnjet will be scrapped because of rising fuel prices.
     
Finnjet, which was re-christened as GTS Kingdom in the spring, arrived in the roads off Alang last Friday.
      The port authorities informed Helsingin Sanomat last week that the vessel will be scrapped immediately after the completion of permission formalities.
     
The Alang shipyard has been widely criticised for example for the poor working conditions there. On average, one worker per day dies in various accidents on the site, some sources claim.
      The shipyard, which is in the Indian state of Gujarat, gives work to around 30,000 people.
     
The impending scrapping of Finnjet has prompted a lot of attention in Finland, for the ship has been considered a milestone in the Finnish ship-building industry, and has an extensive list of admirers.
      Launched in 1977, Finnjet was the largest and fastest car ferry in the world, taking its passengers from Helsinki to Travemünde in West Germany in 22 hours.
      Though regarded as technologically advanced and in some quarters as a style icon, the vessel was never very profitable, and soaring fuel costs rendered the gas turbines - and the entire ship - something of a financial burden.


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)
  Yet more offers made to rescue Finnjet from being scrapped (5.6.2008)
  Finnjet houses Katrina evacuees (20.12.2005)
  Businessmen still trying to rescue Finnjet (27.5.2008)

Links:
  GTS Finnjet (Wikipedia)
  Finnjetweb.com, an unofficial site and forum maintained by devotees of the vessel
  Greenpeace: Shipbreaking