Wasaline signs two-year LBM supply deal with St1 Biokraft

Finnish shipping company Wasaline will take 42 GWh of liquefied biomethane per year under the agreement, with deliveries starting in January 2028.

IMAGE: Dual-fuel ferry, Aurora Botnia. Wasaline

The fuel will be trucked from St1 Biokraft’s production plants and terminals to the Port of Vaasa and bunkered on Aurora Botnia, which crosses the Kvarken daily between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden, carrying passengers and freight.

Wasaline aims to take most of the fuel from a new plant at Nurmo, about 80 km from Vaasa, run by Suomen Lantakaasu, a joint venture between St1 Biokraft and Valio.

This is St1 Biokraft's first major marine biogas agreement, according to the company's LinkedIn post.

Aurora Botnia currently uses biogas, batteries and shore power as part of its energy system. Liquefied biomethane (LBM) is biogas that has been cleaned up and chilled into a liquid, so engines built for LNG can burn it without modification.

Earlier in April, Wasaline agreed to keep the ferry on LBM through 2027, with Gasum supplying the fuel.

Burning LBM earns the vessel far more FuelEU Maritime compliance than it needs, and Gasum pools that surplus to cover shortfalls elsewhere in Stena Line’s fleet.

By Gautamee Hazarika

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