Viking Line Signs LOI for Newbuild LNG-Fuelled RoPax Vessel

Viking Line has signed a letter of intent for a LNG-powered newbuild RoPax ferry.

Viking Line Abp (Viking Line) today announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with China's Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd for the order of an liquefied natural gas (LNG) for RoPax ferry, planned for delivery in the spring of 2020.

"Our intention is for the vessel to run on LNG. We have excellent experience with this from the M/S Viking Grace, the first large LNG-powered passenger vessel in the world," said Jan Hanses, Viking Line’s CEO.

"Great emphasis has been placed in the planning work on environmentally sound solutions, including new innovative energy-efficient applications. Many years of planning work have gone into this newbuilding project in conjunction with the European Union’s Motorways of the Seas project under the scope of the Connecting Europe Facility funding instrument, which has also included the Port of Turku and the Ports of Stockholm."

Viking Line says it intends for the ship to be completed through a collaborative project that will engage a number of Finnish and European suppliers, such as Deltamarin Ltd (Detlamarin), Wärtsilä Corporation (Wärtsilä), and ABB Marine.

A final agreement for the vessel order is expected to be completed in spring 2017, and will include an option for another vessel.

The new vessel, which represents a €190 million ($200.15 million) investment, is planned to serve the Turku-Åland Islands-Stockholm route.

Also today, Ship & Bunker reported that discussion at the recent Gasfuelled Ships conference is said to have suggested that the "tide is turning" for LNG as it gains "momentum" in being adopted for use as a marine fuel.