The need to meet the ever stringent environmental standards in the maritime industry has heralded a new age of shipbuilding practices. A vessel that represents a totally new generation of vessels, namely Viking Grace, is an embodiment of the modern design of the future.
By using natural gas the hazardous emissions decrease to a minimum. Nitrogen emissions and particulates are reduced by 85 per cent and greenhouse gases by 15 per cent. Sulphur emissions are practically zero. The vessel has a hydrodynamically optimized hull shape and highly effective propulsion machinery that saves energy. Extensive development work has been devoted to the hull shape, which minimizes swell waves.
Built by STX Finland at its Turku yard and designed for cruising the shallow waters of the Finnish and Swedish archipelago, Viking Grace is the world’s largest LNG-fuelled ferry and the most environmentally friendly and energy-efficient vessel of its type.
The thrilling construction process of the vessel, which was an undertaking of its own, can be seen on the video below:
Viking Line Abp took delivery of the Viking Grace from the STX Finland Oy shipyard on January 10. It began service on Tuesday, January 15 . The price of the vessel is approximately EUR 240 million.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, March 22, 2013; Image: Viking Line