The Viking Grace is finally returning to daily service between Stockholm and Turku, now more climate-smart than ever. During the three-week docking in Odense, Denmark, Viking Line has installed technology that reduces fuel consumption, while the interior has been refreshed in a sustainable way. Among other things, 5,000 square meters of worn-out carpets and sacks of other textiles from the ship have been taken for recycling and reuse.
Viking Grace departs every morning from Stadsgårdskajen in Stockholm to Mariehamn and Turku but has spent the last three weeks in a dry dock in Odense, Denmark, where extensive renovations and maintenance work have been carried out on the ship.
– Grace is normally serviced in two to three days twice a year, so this time being able to allocate several weeks to various upgrades has been beneficial. Now it was time for a major facelift, both exterior and interior, while we got even more climate-smart solutions in the engine room, says Sari Launonen, superintendent Viking Grace.
The most technically significant measure was the installation of so-called Elogrids on the outside of the ship's propeller tunnels, which reduce movement resistance. The technical solution, supplied by Finnish Elomatic, reduces the ship's fuel consumption by three percent and carbon dioxide emissions by approximately three tons per day.
During the docking, the ship's propellers, rudders and machinery, propulsion engines and high-voltage equipment were also serviced.
–Continuously adjusting and improving technology throughout the ship's life cycle is crucial to reducing our emissions. Ten years ago, Viking Grace entered service as the world's most climate-smart ship, and now she is even more energy-efficient thanks to the new flow controls. Regularly maintaining the ships is also a form of environmental work. For example, the thorough cleaning of the ship's bottom during dry docking has a direct impact on fuel consumption, says Dani Lindberg, Head of Sustainability at Viking Line.
Loyal travelers can feel the difference as soon as they step aboard Viking Grace. The exterior has been freshly painted and the floors have been covered with 5,000 square meters of new carpeting. The entire ship has been thoroughly cleaned from floor to ceiling and the cabins have brand new mattresses, mattress pads, duvets and pillows. Innovations that enhance the travel experience are also found in the ship's restaurants, spa and duty-free shop. The playrooms have been completely renovated.
All materials taken out of service and waste generated during maintenance work are sorted at the shipyard for reuse. The old carpets left the shipyard in Odense to be given a new life at the factory of carpet supplier Tarkett, while discarded bed linen and staff work clothes are transformed into new textile fiber at Rester Oy's textile processing plant in Paimio, Finland.
According to the press release.
