In the Nordic countries, the ships of RoPax operator Viking Line serving the Stockholm (Sweden) – Turku (Finland) route will cut their fossil emissions by 90%, as the company will run on liquefied biomethane (bioLNG) alone for a full week. During that week – from 29 August 2024 (Baltic Sea Day) to 4 September – the Viking Line vessels Viking Glory and Viking Grace will demonstrate what the first green shipping corridor in the Baltic Sea could look like in the future.

From 29 August to 4 September, the climate-friendly vessels Viking Glory and Viking Grace will use only liquefied biomethane (bioLNG), which will reduce the ships' fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 90% compared with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) they normally use. Over the course of the week, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced by roughly 2,600 tonnes compared with liquefied natural gas.

“This is a historic moment for us, for the Baltic Sea and for maritime transport alike. Scheduled voyages have never before been operated on biofuel alone. We have invested 450 million euros in the climate-friendly vessels Viking Grace and Viking Glory, and one of their most important features is that they can run on liquefied natural gas, on biofuel and, in the future, on synthetic fuel produced from renewable energy sources. Environmental measures on this scale are the result of our long-term work,” said Dani Lindbergs, Head of Sustainability at Viking Line.

Customers want sustainable alternatives

For a year now, Viking Line has offered its passengers, as well as conference organisers and freight customers, the option of buying biofuel to match the amount of fuel used for their journey. This reduces emissions per passenger or freight unit by 90%.

“Both consumers and corporate customers expect responsible conduct from us; they are willing to play their part in protecting the threatened natural environment of the Baltic Sea archipelago. The number of journeys made using biofuel rose sharply – by 500% – once we highlighted the option and provided information about it in our booking system,” explains Dani Lindbergs, Head of Sustainability at Viking Line.

The Turku route normally runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which produces considerably lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than the heavy fuel oil (HFO) traditionally used on ships. Both liquefied natural gas and bioLNG (or liquefied biogas – LBG) produce virtually no harmful sulphur (SOx) or particulate matter (PM) emissions.

Gasum as the fuel supplier

Viking Line is supplied with biomethane (or renewable natural gas – RNG) by the Finnish gas and energy company Gasum Oy, which produces it from food and agricultural waste. The biomethane is produced in Europe, and the origin of every bioLNG consignment is clearly documented.

“We have already operated Viking Grace on biogas on the Turku route, and passengers and freight customers on Viking Glory and Viking Grace can already buy biogas when booking a trip in order to offset the fuel used for their own journey and thereby cut the emissions it generates by up to 90%. Now, for the first time, we will operate for a whole week on biogas alone. The availability of renewable fuel is still limited, and such fuel costs at least twice as much as liquefied natural gas. It is important to create demand so that supply increases and the price comes down,” said Dani Lindbergs.

Expanding environmentally friendly shipping corridors

One element of the Finnish–Swedish NextGen Link project for sustainable maritime traffic – a project coordinated by the Port of Turku with EU financial support – is automated vacuum mooring, which is both safer and faster during the actual mooring process. As a result, a ship's speed can be reduced, along with the time for which the main engines are needed during harbour manoeuvres.

Viking Line is involved in efforts to establish a green maritime corridor between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden), and between Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia). Green corridors are routes on which both freight and passenger transport are carbon neutral. Emissions reductions in maritime transport are governed in part by the EU's “Fit for 55” programme for the green transition and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), as well as by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy for reducing GHG emissions.