Viking Grace Marks 1,000 LNG Bunkering Milestone
From the very beginning, the M/S Viking Grace – delivered in January 2013 – was an environmental milestone.
The vessel attracted global attention as an environmental pioneer by being the first large passenger vessel to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Now, three and a half years later, one thousand bunkerings (fuellings) have been performed in partnership with the Swedish company AGA Gas AB.
One thousand bunkerings via the M/S Seagas: The M/S Seagas, which was specially built for ship-to-ship refuelling, has performed its 1,000th LNG bunkering of the Viking Grace since that vessel was placed in service in January 2013.
The Seagas supplies the Viking Grace with about 60 tonnes of LNG while the vessel is docked in the morning at Stadsgården in central Stockholm. The Seagas is the first vessel of its kind in the world and is classified according to the same regulations as for ocean-going LNG tankers.
Viking Line’s wish was for bunkering to occur as quickly as possible, with no interruptions, with assured deliveries and without affecting cargo handling on the quay. With its safe LNG bunker solution using the Seagas, AGA could meet Viking Line’s needs. The safety aspect was also extremely important in this context.
“We are really pleased about having used LNG to fuel the M/S Viking Grace”, says Jan Hanses, President and CEO of Viking Line Abp. “Both the technical solution developed by AGA and the vessel’s operation have outperformed expectations, and it is gratifying to note the major benefits for the workplace along with the environmental gains that running on LNG provides.”