Viking Line News

Viking Line has started to offer passengers on its Turku-Åland-Stockholm route the option of purchasing renewable biofuel in proportion to the amount of fuel used for their journey.Starting June 21, Viking Line’s passengers on the Turku-Åland-Stockholm route can purchase biogas in proportion to the amount of fuel used for their journey. On a cruise between Turku and Stockholm, the additional price is less than 5 euros. At that price, passengers reduce their carbon footprint by up to 90% compared to a trip where LNG is used.European biogas…

The 10-year-old Viking Grace returned to operate between Turku and Stockholm on February 12 as a better and climate-smarter version of itself. During its three-week visit to the dock, new technology to reduce fuel consumption was installed and the interior refurbished. Some 5,000 square meters of old carpet and bags and bags of textiles were recycled.Viking Grace has spent the last three weeks at the dry dock in Odense, Denmark, where an extensive refurbishment and maintenance…

Antonio Ferrando,Provision Store Expert at ALMACO Group, explains the key factors behind creating optimal provision stores and layouts.What are the three most important things to consider when creating provision stores and layouts?Let me start by emphasizing these three things: flow, maximum food preservation, and customization. These three are really the key when we are taking about creating an optimal layout of provision stores and galleys for a customer.Flow: The layout has a direct and major impact on the flow in an area.

Viking Line's flagship Viking Glory was floated out from its building dock at XSI Shipyard in Xiamen, China, on Tuesday.The new 222.6-meter, 63,800gt ro-pax vessel is due to enter service on the Stockholm-Åland-Turku route in early 2022. It will have capacity for 2,800 passengers in 922 cabins and freight capacity of 1,500 lane meters.The vessel was ordered in 2017 and was initially scheduled to enter service in 2020 following planned delivery at the end of 2020, but the COVID…

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2020, the calendar turned and put one of the more 'exceptional' years in the rearview mirror. While COVID-19 related challenges remain, Viking Line reports seeing the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel.'In a recent report Viking Line said that only four of its seven vessels were in regular service during the year, and passenger volume fell 70 percent compared to 2019. But with the turn of the calendar the carrier sees positive signs…

Ferry industry trade group Interferry announced Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu as the new Chair of its board of directors. He was elected at the association’s annual general meeting on October 27 - held virtually due to COVID-19 travel restrictions - in succession to John Steen-Mikkelsen, former CEO of Denmark’s Danske Faerger. The meeting also confirmed the appointment of a new director extending Southeast Asia representation on the board.Mathieu, an Interferry board member since 2010…

ABB Marine & Ports has installed shore connection technology aboard the passenger ferry Viking XPRS, which operates daily between Helsinki and Tallinn.The high-speed ferry, built in 2008, is deployed on the 2.5-hour route across the Baltic Sea between Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland, typically docking in the Estonian city twice a day. ABB said that shore connection technology would ensure that Viking XPRS' calls in Estonia’s Port of Tallinn are made "quietly, efficiently…

A ferry carrying almost 300 people between Finland and Sweden ran aground off an island in the Baltic Sea on Sunday but nobody was hurt, said Viking Line, the company which operates the ship.“The situation is stable.

Managing infection risk during the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new approach to disease control and prevention.A new infection risk management approach has been developed by DNV GL to assess, manage and mitigate infection risk in management systems, business processes and operations. My Care incorporates local regulations and guidelines – it can be applied to any vessel type, as well as terminals.My Care’s suite of independent assessment services is designed to help businesses…

Estonia will give the Baltic Sea shipping firm Tallink, which has been badly hit by lockdowns, a 3-year loan of 100 million euros ($108 million), the government of the small EU member said on Friday.Tallink - which operates large ferries between Estonia and Finland, and from Latvia, Estonia and Finland to Sweden - is approaching its peak season of June-August with most of the countries around the Baltic closed to travelers because of the coronavirus pandemic.The firm's passenger traffic dropped 96% in April, while cargo traffic fell 14%.Tallink this week reported a gross loss of 0.2 million eu

Ferry operator Viking Line said Tuesday it will restart passenger service for essential travel after the Finnish government annouced plans to gradually ease some restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.Passenger service will be restricted to travel for work and other travel defined by the authorities until at least May 31, the cruise ferry operator said.Four of Viking Line’s seven vessels will continue their service between Finland and Sweden, the Åland Islands and Estonia. People will be able to continue travelling as usual between the Finnish mainland and Åland.

Norsepower CEO and co-founder Tuomas Riski has put a new spin on some established technology, bringing wind power back to shipping in an undeniably eye-catching manner. Here Nor-Shipping’s latest ‘Ocean Action Hero’ explains the benefits of his firm’s unique technology, his plans for building global market presence, and the key role Norsepower’s sails can play in enabling a more sustainable shipping industry. “But isn’t there a problem that some people think it looks, you know… a bit odd?” Tuomas Riski laughs at a question that you quickly get the feeling he’s dealt with before.

Finnish cruise ferry operator Viking Line announced Monday it will continue service on its "most important" routes despite concerns about the coronavirus outbreak."Taking the security of supply for Finland and Åland as well as the cargo transport demands into consideration, we continue freight traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn as well as on the Turku–Åland–Stockholm route," it said in a statement.“To safeguard the security of supply between Finland and Sweden, we are maintaining service on part of our routes.

Finnish cruise ferry operator Viking Line announced Tuesday that it will suspend service between Helsinki and Stockholm due to the developing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Finnish authorities have closed the country’s borders during the state of emergency in effect in Finland.“To safeguard the security of supply between Finland and Sweden, we are maintaining service on the Turku–Åland–Stockholm route. We are also still making one sailing to Tallinn from Helsinki six days a week.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that major cruise lines would suspend cruises for 30 days, following a series of industry announcements that came after repeated transmission of coronavirus among passengers at sea.“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days,” Trump said on Twitter.“It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way!” he added.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said earlier on Friday it was suspending its cruises in the United States for 30 days…

Finnish provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems for ships Norsepower has completed a joint project with China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) for the development of an energy-efficient dual-fuel 300,000 dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) design.The design has already received an approval in principle (AiP) from classification societies Lloyd’s Register and ABS.Under the agreement, Rotor Sails were implemented in the VLCC design for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, the engineering company said.The impact of the installation of Norsepower’s Rotor Sail solution, including a review of structural reinforcement and visibility calculation…

OGCI Climate Investments has led an EUR 8 million investment round in Norsepower, along with current investors, to accelerate Norsepower’s growth on global markets.The investment enables Norsepower to scale up production at its manufacturing facilities as part of a next phase of commercialization triggered by demand for its renewable wind energy propulsion systems, said a press release from Norsepower Oy Ltd., the provider of low maintenance, software operated, data verified auxiliary renewable wind energy propulsion systems.The increased take-up comes at a time when the international shipping industry looks to offset expensive fuel…

The increased demand for travel to and from Tallinn was clearly reflected in the number of passengers aboard Viking Line during this past summer. The number of passengers on M/S Viking XPRS, which sails regularly along the route, exceeded the 600,000 passenger mark. In August, the number increased by 209,934 passengers, which contributed to the all-time record for the XPRS vessel.This summer, Viking XPRS, which was launched into service in April 2008, traveled along its Helsinki–Tallinn route more frequently than during previous summers to accommodate for customer demand.

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has been awarded a contract to install its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, at the Old City Harbor at the Port of Tallinn, which is the biggest harbor in Estonia and one of the busiest passenger harbors in the world.In first quarter of 2020, Trelleborg will install six units of its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm at the Old City Harbor’s Berth 13 cruise ferry wharf to facilitate faster berthing processes and improve safety levels within the port environment.

ABB extends the power range of Azipod propulsion to enable ferry and RoPax operators improve operational efficiency and reduce emissionsSince its launch in 1990, Azipod electric propulsion has become the industry standard for a wide range of vessel segments ranging from smaller crafts to icebreakers capable of independently operating in the harshest conditions.In response to customer requests, ABB has filled the gap between the low and high-power range of Azipod propulsors with the launch of a new series available in 7.5-14.5MW.

The construction of Viking Glory is proceeding on schedule. The keel laying ceremony will take place June 3, at the Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry shipyard in China. The new climate-smart ship will begin operating along the Turku-Åland-Stockholm route under the year 2021. Passengers can make bookings for the ship as of December 2019.The keel laying ceremony is an old shipbuilding tradition, in which coins are placed under the keel of the ship to bring luck during the construction phase.

ALMACO secured the order to build 1121 passenger and crew cabins plus all the galleys, bars, pantries and provision stores, including cold rooms, freezers and walk-ins, for Viking Line’s newbuild at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (XSI) shipyard in China. For the accommodations portion of the order, ALMACO’s contract includes visual turnkey with some background works for all passenger and crew cabin areas as well as crew public areas.The catering areas delivery involves the visual turnkey installation, including flooring, wall and ceiling stainless steel panels, of approximately 800 sq.

Spanish engineering and technology group SENER has contracted the basic design of a 1,200-passenger ferry for Tanzanian shipping line Kampuni ya Huduma za Meli (Marine Services Co., Ltd.) to the Korean company GAS Entec."With this new engineering contract, SENER has the experience from having built over 1,200 ships and offshore artifacts worldwide under its own designs. With more than 60 years working in the Marine sector, nowadays SENER provides professional services to shipyards, technical offices, shipping lines, ship owners and official organizations all over the world," claimed a press release from the company.The scope of the project to be developed by SENER includes conceptual and classification engineering…