ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Posted on 04/01/2016

Viking Line continues to implement policies that cause less impact on the environment. Two years prior to the EU deadline of 2015 for cruise ships to reduce sulphur emissions, Viking Grace was launched as the first Finnish passenger ferry to operate entirely on sulphur-free liquefied natural gas (LNG).

LNG is a natural gas that has been cooled down to minus 162 degrees Celsius. This transforms it from gaseous to liquid form and shrinks it 600 times in volume.

In 2014 Viking Line signed an agreement with Climeon (a Swedish based company) to install Climeon’s patented system “Ocean Marine” to recover waste heat streams that would otherwise be thrown into the ocean and turn it into electricity.  

With that agreement, Viking anticipated reducing its fuel by 200 tonnes a year.

At the time, Tony Öhman, Head of Marine Operations said, “We investigated different alternatives and found that Climeon’s ‘Ocean Marine’ is the best solution for us. This new technology will strengthen the Viking Grace’s position as a market leader in environmental compliance.” 

By the end of 2015 Viking Line had increased its recycling by 15%. 

“We operate in the sensitive Baltic Sea archipelagos, so environmental issues have top priority,” said Susanna Airola, Viking Line’s environmental coordinator.

“Greening is an integral part of the company’s day-to-day operations, and our environmental work today extends beyond what the regulations in force require. A big thank you to our shipboard staff, who make sure that environmental measures are implemented in practice.”

Viking’s environmental policy includes recovering all wastewater (grey from showers and basins, and black from toilets), pumping it ashore and delivering it to municipal treatment plants.