The float-out of M/S Viking Grace, an environmentally friendly new generation cruise ferry, being built for Viking Line Abp was performed at STX Turku Shipyard on Friday.
At the beginning of the event, the invited guests had an opportunity to visit the dry dock floor and see the ship from a rare perspective. The float-out ceremony was witnessed by representatives of Viking Line, STX Finland and the classification society Lloyd’s Register, invited guests and members of the press.
Once completed, the newbuilding 1376 will be the most environmentally friendly large cruise ferry of all time. It is fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), emissions into the sea have been totally eliminated, and emissions into the air are remarkably lower than those of any other big passenger ships.
The vessel, featuring a large variety of novel technological innovations, has attracted a lot of attention already during the construction phase, even internationally. The 218 metres long cruise ferry, to be delivered to the customer by the Turku Shipyard at the beginning of 2013, will operate on the Turku (Finland) –Åland Islands–Stockholm (Sweden) route. The vessel will provide some 2,600 man-years of labour to the shipyard.
“We are very pleased to be able to float out this magnificent cruise ferry according to plans. The project has progressed in good collaboration with the client and vendors. After this float out, the works will continue actively by final installation of the various systems of the ship and by interior outfitting. The ship will be ready for delivery to the customer at the beginning of next year,” says Jari Anttila, EVP and COO of STX Finland, and Director of STX Turku Shipyard.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, August 13, 2012