Viking Line launches ‘climate-smart flagship’
Champagne christened Finnish shipping firm Viking Line’s Viking Glory on February 28, a day before the passenger ship was launched between Turku and Stockholm.
“This fantastic vessel exceeds all my expectations, It represents a brand-new generation of vessels and highlights the company’s origins in the archipelago in a fine way,” said Viking Line CEO Jan Hanses.
The €225 million vessel is being hailed as a ‘climate-smart flagship’, with technology group Wärtsilä under a three-year agreement to provide technical management of the ship’s ‘broad scope of solutions’, which comprise six LNG-powered Wärtsilä 31DF engines, two LNPac fuel gas supply systems an three tunnel thrusters.
The vessel was built in Xiamen, China, where it set sail in December 2021 for arrival in the Port of Turku, Finland, in January.
Wärtsilä will also provide on-demand remote operational and technical support, with engine health diagnostics and performance and emissions optimisation.
“Viking Glory is a flagship for climate-smart technology and encapsulates our group ambition to be a forerunner of responsible navigation,” said Henrik Wilhelms, director, Agreement Sales, with Wärtsilä Marine Power.
“A vessel designed to minimise emissions is just the start. Successful maintenance and technical support is needed to keep equipment and the vessel operating at top efficiency and ensure the lowest possible carbon footprint in the future.”
Viking Glory is a 222m x 35m cruise ferry, and although it is bigger than another vessel by Viking Line – Viking Grace (218m x 32m) – it uses 10% less fuel because of the more advanced technologies installed, says Wärtsilä.
Wärtsilä has also installed a UV ballast water management system, navigation system and dynamic positioning system on the vessel.
From today, the Viking Glory will sail between Turku in Finland and Stockholm, the Swedish capital.
It was christened by Viking Line director Jakob Johansson’s wife, Isabel Lennse, a jewellery designer from Stockholm. Johansson is the company’s largest shareholder.
