Tallink Grupp’s shuttle ferry MyStar is set to operate on liquefied biomethane (bio-LNG) under a new pooling and fuel agreement that will generate compliance surplus for Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pool, according to the company’s statement.
Gasum has signed a FuelEU Maritime co-operation and bio-LNG agreement with Elenger, which has long supplied Tallink’s Helsinki–Tallinn shuttle vessels with fuel. Under the deal, Gasum will provide bio-LNG from its terminal in Pori, Finland to Elenger, which will supply MyStar.
The ferry will function as a “compliance generator,” creating surplus greenhouse gas reductions that Gasum can allocate to other pool participants. Jacob Granqvist, Gasum Vice President for maritime, said the addition of MyStar strengthens the company’s pool and expands its ability to support customers seeking FuelEU Maritime compliance toward year-end.
Elenger CEO Margus Kaasik stated that Tallink is “setting an example for other operators in the Baltic Sea,” adding that Tallink first invested in LNG in 2017 and is now taking a further step toward renewable bio-LNG.
The agreement follows Tallink’s recent announcement of its transition to bio-LNG on MyStar and Megastar, noting that MyStar has bunkered bio-LNG six times in recent months through cooperation with Elenger and that the company aims to fully replace both vessels’ LNG needs with bio-LNG within the next year.
Tallink CEO Paavo Nõgene said the company can gradually increase bio-LNG use depending on availability and price and that the renewable fuel option allows customers to lower their environmental footprint.
Elenger confirmed recent deliveries of bio-LNG to MyStar, produced from renewable raw materials and supplied with sustainability certification. The company said bio-LNG use “significantly reduces emissions from maritime transport.”
FuelEU Maritime, entering into force in 2025, will tighten greenhouse gas intensity limits for shipping in stages until 2050 and includes pooling as a flexibility mechanism allowing surplus reductions from one vessel to support others.
Gasum, which earlier switched its own bunkering and carrier vessels to full bio-LNG use, has already added ships from Anthony Veder and Wallenius Sol as compliance generators and is now extending the model to a high-frequency passenger and cargo shuttle on the Baltic Sea.
MyStar, delivered in December 2022 and operating alongside Megastar, is a 212-metre ro-pax ferry built by Rauma Marine Constructions and equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of running on LNG and marine diesel oil. Tallink promotes the shift from fossil LNG to bio-LNG as a way to cut life-cycle emissions using existing LNG ship technology and bunkering infrastructure.
With MyStar confirmed as a compliance generator in Gasum’s pool, Tallink, Gasum and Elenger link Tallink’s operational decarbonisation on the Helsinki–Tallinn route with the emerging market for FuelEU Maritime compliance.
Tallink Grupp is an Estonian joint-stock company engaged in passenger and cargo maritime transport and related hospitality services.
The group’s activities include operating ro-pax and cruise ferries, managing ticketing and travel operations, and running hotels and onshore services in its core markets around the Baltic Sea.
Gasum is a Nordic energy company owned by the Finnish state through its holding entity. Its operations span biogas development, natural gas infrastructure, and energy market services. The company manages gas transmission and distribution assets, participates in cross-border energy trade, and develops solutions supporting the decarbonisation of industrial, transport and maritime customers.
Elenger is a privately owned Baltic energy supplier operating under the Eesti Gaas name in several markets. The company’s activities include procurement, import, storage and distribution of gaseous fuels, as well as infrastructure development and customer energy services for industrial and commercial users across the region.
