Viking Line has cancelled a shipbuilding contract for a new passenger vessel with the Spanish yard Astilleros de Sevilla.
The cancellation was made in accordance with the contractual provisions concerning delayed delivery, the shipping company explains in a short press release.
The ordered passenger ferry was meant for operation between Mariehamn in the Finnish Åland Islands and the Swedish port of Kapellskär.
The vessel was originally scheduled for completion already in the summer of 2009. It was to replace the Rosella, which currently operates on the route.
Viking Line had already paid nearly EUR 39 million for the new ship.
The company is currently considering placing an order for new ships also for its route between Turku and Stockholm.
Viking Line’s decisions are being anxiously awaited by the STX Finland Turku shipyard.
To increase its volume of orders, the shipyard was recently promised a sizeable state subsidy by the Finnish government.
