Viking Line, the Finland-based Baltic ferry operator, plans to demonstrate the future Baltic Green Corridor with special trips between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden) later this month. For a week, two of the company’s ferries will run exclusively on liquefied biogas, resulting in a 90 percent reduction in harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
“This is a historic moment for us, the Baltic Sea and maritime transport,” said Dani Lindberg, Sustainability Manager at Viking Line. “Line services have never before been powered exclusively by biofuel. We have invested 450 million euros in our climate-friendly ships. Viking Grace And Glory of the Vikingsand one of their most important features is that they can run on liquefied natural gas, biofuel and future synthetic fuels from renewable energy.”
The company is participating in efforts to develop a green sea corridor in the Baltic Sea, targeting the routes between Turku and Stockholm and between Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia). While these efforts are still ongoing and the supply of biogas still needs to be expanded, Viking Line plans to kick off a special Baltic Sea Day celebration with the demonstration of the world’s first green corridor.
From 29 August to 4 September Glory of the Vikings (built in 2022 and 65,000 gross registered tons) and Viking Grace (built in 2013, 57,500 gross tonnes) runs exclusively on LBG. The vessels are equipped to run on sustainable fuel and have run on it for limited periods instead of their normal LNG fuel. Viking explains that while biogas is already part of its fuel mix today, availability and price are currently curbing this. According to the company, it currently costs twice as much as LNG when it is available.
The biogas for the special week is supplied by Gasum. It is produced entirely from food and agricultural waste in Europe and is fully certified. The ships will travel approximately 11 hours between the two destinations, offering passengers the opportunity of a 24-hour cruise. Viking estimates that one week of biogas operation saves approximately 2,600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. This is equivalent to the annual average carbon footprint of 270 Finns.
Viking attracted attention a year ago when it offered passengers and carriers the option to travel on biofuel for an additional fee. The basic fee for a passenger adds 26 SEK (about $2.50) to the fare. Viking reports that the number of trips using biofuel increased by 500 percent when the company began offering this option in its booking system.
Viking Line, the Ports of Stockholm and the Port of Turku signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 formalising efforts to launch the green corridor. The effort will be launched gradually, with the aim of the corridor being 100 per cent carbon neutral by 2035.
