Today construction begins on Viking Line’s new passenger vessel NB 1376 at the STX Finland shipyard in Turku. The vessel, which represents a completely new generation of ferries, will be fuelled by liquid natural gas (LNG).
The planning process has placed great importance not only on environmentally friendly solutions, such as LNG and electrical propulsion, but also on new innovative passenger experiences related to product and service concepts as well as fresh design thinking. The newbuilding project has been preceded by several years of planning and research work.
Modern new design
Last spring, the Finnish interior architecture office dSign Vertti Kivi & Co was selected to handle the interior design of Viking Line’s newbuilding. The choice of this office was based on its track record in public design and its vision of how the cruise vessel of the future should look. The office has been assigned to handle the interior design of all twelve public areas on the vessel: walkways and entrances, restaurants and shops, children’s play areas and club premises. NB 1376 will offer innovative, inspiring and exciting experiences.
“It is gratifying to be able to launch a completely new, unique vessel concept with alluring and exciting solutions. This vessel represents a new generation of ferries, and we hope to able to attract new categories of customers with this concept,” says Mikael Backman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viking Line.
Delivery in January 2013
The vessel will serve the Turku (Finland) – Åland Islands (Finland) – Stockholm (Sweden) route and delivery is expected in January 2013. Its length will be about 214 metres, gross tonnage about 57,000 and ice class 1 A Super. The vessel is being planned for 2,800 passengers and will have a crew of 200. The number of passenger cabins will be 880. The length of the vessel’s cargo lanes will be 1,275 metres, and 500 metres will be reserved for passenger cars on a separate car deck. There will also be extra space for cars on “shelves” that can be lowered in place.
“The Turku route has historically played a vital role for our Company and will also be of major importance for our passenger and cargo services. You can equate this route with a bridge between Turku and the Stockholm metropolitan area. It is also known both inside and outside Europe. At the same time, we are pleased that this newbuilding project enables us to help preserve several thousand jobs in the Turku region. Working with Finnish business partners is positive,” said Mikael Backman, president and CEO.
