On January 19, the Riigilaevastik (Estonian State Fleet) signed a design and construction contract for a new workboat with the Estonian company Baltic Workboats. The 100% methanol and electricity-powered multi-purpose work vessel will be completed in 2026 and will provide the country with better capabilities for regular buoy work, waterway maintenance, modern scientific research, pollution control and rescue operations.
“We are very happy that Estonia’s first large work vessel operating on alternative fuel is being built right here in Estonia, in Saaremaa,” commented Andres Laasma, Director General of the State Fleet. “Baltic Workboats’ long-term experience and internationally recognized strength in the construction of various workboats gives us full confidence that the ship will be built according to the highest quality requirements and exactly as needed in Estonian waters,”
The length of the new work vessel is approx. 40 meters, the width is approx. 10 meters and the maximum speed is up to 12 knots. The more precise parameters of the ship will be revealed during the design process. The multi-purpose ship will be Estonia’s first 100% alternative fuel powered work ship, which uses sustainable biomethane as the main fuel, thanks to which it is possible to reduce the ship’s CO2 emissions to a minimum. In addition, the ship is equipped with a battery bank that allows the ship to be operated on electricity for shorter periods, in zero-emission mode.
According to Kaupo Läänerand, Deputy Chancellor of Maritime Affairs and Water Environment of the Ministry of Climate, the construction of a modern multi-purpose work vessel in Estonia will make a significant contribution to both regional development and the country’s maritime industry sector. “The ship was more expensive than originally planned, but the investment money together with tax income and jobs will remain in Estonia.”
Margus Vanaselja, chairman of the board of Baltic Workboats, the orders from the state are a model example of how the public sector and companies can work together to promote the Estonian economy. “In the case of domestic orders, we perceive the trust of the state and feel a special responsibility. The base developed specially for Estonia and based on green technologies will later become a reference product for export markets.”
The construction of the ship will last about 26 months and should be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026, according to the assumptions. The multi-purpose work vessel replaces the float vessel Sektori, temporarily chartered from Finland. The operator and main user of the new ship will be the State Navy.
Baltic Workboats has long-term experience in building research vessels and special purpose vessels. In 2023, a total of 17 ships were completed and they went to Oman, Canada, Norway, Ukraine, Belgium, Bangladesh and Bulgaria. Over the entire 24 years of operation of Baltic Workboats, more than 230 workboats of different sizes and functionalities have been built.
The cost of the design and construction contract for the multi-purpose ship is 22 million euros. The project has been financed from the resources of the European Union’s recovery fund NextGenerationEU and national own funds.
