"On board Viking Grace alone, the intelligent, need-based ventilation system saves the same amount of energy that all of our offices and warehouses use in one year."
Carbon dioxide emissions from Viking Line’s vessels have decreased 30 per cent per nautical mile since 2008. “We have mainly achieved emission reductions through innovative technological solutions that are not very visible to passengers. The technology is developing at a rapid pace, and many of these innovations originated in Finland.”, says Dani Lindberg, Sustainability Manager at Viking Line.
Viking Line’s environmental journey began already in the 1980s, when the company started using divers to scrub the bottoms of its vessels instead of using toxic paint and started recycling on board. Since then, the vessels have made the transition to increasingly low-emission fuels and to energy recycling. In port, the vessels have started to be supplied with green land-based power. Fuel efficiency is also taken into account when timetables and routes are planned.
For example, when Viking Grace, which is powered by natural liquefied gas, was placed in service, emissions of nitrogen and particulate matter decreased 85 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions decreased 15 per cent compared to a vessel that runs on oil. Now ten years later, Glory in turn produces ten per cent fewer emissions than Grace. Meanwhile, emissions from our older vessels have also decreased, since we update the technology on our vessels throughout their life cycle,” continues Lindberg.
“On board Viking Grace alone, the intelligent, need-based ventilation system saves the same amount of energy that all of our offices and warehouses use in one year. And that is just the case of a single technological innovation on one vessel. It is also crucial how the vessel is used and operated. The responsibility for this lies with our skilled professional staff, for whom environmental issues have top priority along with safety and security.”, says Lindberg.
Viking Line also co-operates with other organizations to take better care about their operating environment. For example, Viking Line donated 30 000€ to the John Nurminen Foundation within celebrations of Baltic Sea Day in end of August. Mission of John Nurminen Foundation is to save the Baltic Sea and its heritage for future generations.
“The Baltic Sea is important to us Finns in many ways. The Baltic Sea has always been a gateway to the world, but also an important provider of experiences and recreation. Our feeling for this place gives us an identity that brings together the countries around the Baltic and their residents. With Viking Line’s support, we can take effective, result-oriented measures to ensure that the Baltic Sea maintains its biodiversity and well-being for future generations as well.” says Annamari Arrakoski-Engardt, Managing Director of the John Nurminen Foundation.
“We are Finland’s largest maritime transport employer, and our shipping company has the most vessels under a Finnish flag. We also want to be a pioneer in developing and implementing new, environmentally friendly innovations. For example, Grace and Glory are already equipped to start using biogas or synthetic fuels produced from renewable energy when they become available in the future. That is the next big step towards carbon-neutral maritime traffic,” says Lindberg.
The goal of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport by 40 per cent from 2008 levels by 2030.
30.8.2022