chipelago – a navigational challenge and
also in part a natural conservation area.
Because of this, one of the key points
in the design of Viking Line’s new cruise
ferry was to decrease the ship’s propensity to make waves.
“Minimising waves in the ship’s wake
was a significant issue when the ferry’s hydrodynamics design was on the drawing
board. With the current hull design, the
ship’s waves will not cause erosion while
sailing through the archipelago,” Anttila
points out.
“Also, the ship’s noise levels have
been reduced.”
While the main fuel of the ship will
be liquefied natural gas (LNG), the engines
will be able to utilise MGO gas oil as a substitute fuel.
“The ship will be capable of operating for two to three days without refueling.
This, too, is a safety feature,” says Anttila.
COMPLYING WITH
IMO REGULATIONS
Running on LNG fuel, the new ship will be
quite environmentally friendly. In fact, it is
considered to be the most environmentally friendly cruise ferry ever built, once
completed.
Around the Baltic Sea region, new
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
regulations are very strict. For the new
ship, discharge and pollution into the sea
have been eliminated, and the emission
into the air is significantly low.
The ship will be powered by four dual-fuel Wärtsilä 8L50DF main engines. Running on LNG, the vessel will have virtually no SOx emissions and its NOx emissions
will be at least 80 percent below current
The production of the LNG-fuelled cruise
ferry is about to start at Turku Shipyard.
Viking Line’s CEO Mikael Backman is pushing
the button.
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