Finland's Viking Line says that its newbuild cruise ferry, the 63,000 gt M/S Viking Glory, will be one of the most climate-smart passenger ships in the world.
According to the shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruise-ferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia, it is estimated that the ship will consume up to 10% less fuel than M/S Viking Grace, which is smaller and was hailed as the world’s most eco-friendly ship of its time.
Viking Glory will launch into service in 2021 as the first ship in the world to be equipped with Wärtsilä 31DF dual fuel engines, which utilize the latest technology and run on completely sulfur-free liquefied natural gas (LNG).
As with Viking Grace, Viking Glory will also have the ability to run on biogas, once it becomes a viable fuel alternative in the future.
“Viking Glory will have six 31DF engines for efficient optimization of fuel consumption. These engines have the lowest fuel consumption, but at the same time, the highest cylinder output in their segment (550 kW/cylinder),” explains Project Manager Kari Granberg, who is in charge of the new construction at Viking Line.
Viking Glory will also, as the first in the world, recover the waste cold from the use of LNG and recycle it for use in cold counters, cold rooms and other special rooms.
“Today, recovery of waste heat is already common, but to recycle waste cold for the purposes of refrigeration appliances and cold rooms is an innovative and highly climate-smart solution. Viking Line has carried out development work in collaboration with Wärtsilä, Projektia and Deltamarin,” Granberg continues.
Additionally, Viking Glory will be equipped with a Climeon energy recycling system that harnesses and converts waste heat from the engines into electricity. The system can generate up to 40% of the electricity required for the passenger functions.
Moreover, a dynamic air conditioning and lighting system will be installed on-board, which will have a direct effect on energy consumption. This system will be controlled by the booking system: if a cabin remains empty at departure, it will be set in a power-saving mode, thereby minimizing air-conditioning and heating for that particular cabin.
This also marks the first time when a passenger ship of this kind utilities the Azipod propulsion unit manufactured by ABB as a means of saving time and energy in terms of ship manoeuvring: the system facilitates faster turns in the ports and a hull design with approximately 8% less water resistance than with a traditional propeller system.
