MS Viking Grace

MS Viking Grace is a cruiseferry constructed at STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland for the Finland-based ferry company Viking Line. The ship was delivered to her owners on 10 January 2013, and entered service on 13 January 2013. It is the first large-scale passenger ferry to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as being fitted with a rotor sail.

History
Name: Viking Grace
Owner: Viking Line
Port of registry: Mariehamn,  Finland[1]
Route: Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm
Ordered: 22 December 2010[2]
Builder: STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland
Cost: 240 million euro (estimate)[2] (US$274 million)
Yard number: 1376[3]
Laid down: 6 March 2012
Launched: 10 August 2012[1]
Completed: 10 January 2013 [1]
Maiden voyage: 13 January 2013[1]
In service: 2013–Present
Identification: IMO number: 9606900
Call sign: OJPQ
MMSI number: 230629000
Status: In service
General characteristics
Type: Cruiseferry
Tonnage: 57,565 GT[4]
Length: 218 m (715 ft 3 in)
Beam: 31.8 m (104 ft 4 in)
Ice class: 1A Super[2]
Installed power: 4 × Wärtsilä 8L50DF (4 × 7,600 kW)[5]
Propulsion: Diesel-electric
Two shafts, fixed pitch propellers
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)[1]
Capacity: 2,800 passengers[2]
1,275 lane meters for ro-ro cargo
1,000 lane meters for cars[1]
Crew: 200[2]

Construction

Construction on the ship started on 28 November 2011. The ship's name was announced as Viking Grace on 17 February 2012.

Principal particulars

Viking Grace has a length of 218 m (715 ft 3 in), beam of 31.8 m (104 ft 4 in) and maximum summer draft of 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in). The ship has a deadweight tonnage of 6,107 DWT and a gross tonnage of 57,565 GT, which gives maximum passenger capacity for 2,800 people. The vessel has 880 rooms, restaurants, bars, spa and shopping centers. MS Viking Grace also has 1,000 lane meters space for cars and 1,275 lane meters for storage of ro-ro cargo.[1]

Engineering
Viking Grace with her rotor sail arriving at Mariehamn.

Viking Grace is driven by four diesel/gas Wärtsilä 8L50DF electric engines, each with power of 10,100 HP,[5] and was the first LNG-powered passenger ship.[6] It is also the first modern passenger ship that has been fitted with a rotor sail,[7] which allows for hybrid usage of LNG and wind power. The technology, called Rotor Sail Solution, was developed by the Finnish company Norsepower and has produced a fuel saving of up to 20% in favourable wind conditions.[8][9]

The rotor cylinder has a height of 24.00 m and a width of 4.00 m. During operation, the cylinder rotates and receives power from the airflow. This form of propulsion was developed and patented by the German engineer Anton Flettner in 1922.

Incidents

On 21 November 2020, Viking Grace ran aground while attempting to dock at Mariehamn en route from Stockholm to Turku.[10] The ship was towed into the harbour overnight and the 331 passengers and 98 crew, who had slept on board, were evacuated later that morning.[11]

References
  1. M/S Viking Gracen vesillelasku. Viking Line, 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  2. "Viking Line NB 1376" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  3. "NB 1376.com". Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  4. "Marine Traffic Viking Grace". Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  5. Viking Grace. Wärtsilä. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
  6. "Viking Grace lähti neitsytmatkalleen". Iltalehti (in Finnish). STT. 13 January 2013. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
  7. Peter Kleinort: Erstmals Flettner-Rotor für Passagierfähre · 'Viking Grace' fährt schon mit LNG-Antrieb · Sparpotenzial liegt bei 900 Tonnen CO2 und 300 Tonnen LNG jährlich, Täglicher Hafenbericht, 8 February 2017, pp. 1+ (in German)
  8. Coricia (27 January 2017). "Cruise ferry Viking Grace install turbosail for hybrid usage of wind power". Maritime Herald.
  9. "Bringing sailing back to shipping". Norsepower. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  10. "Passenger ferry Viking Grace runs aground off Finland". BBC News. 21 November 2020.
  11. "Så gott som alla passagerare har evakuerats från grundstötta Viking Grace och väntar på vidare transport – fartyget bogserades i natt" (in Swedish). Svenska Yle. 22 November 2020.
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