Ships of the Year

SHIPS OF THE YEAR
The passenger areas on Viking XPRS are concentrated to two decks.
same name at the naming ceremony on
September 14, 2007 by the Finnish singer
Paula Koivuniemi.
The Viking XPRS was handed over to
the owner on April 21, 2008 and entered
service on the Helsinki–Tallinn route on
April 28. She replaced the Rosella, which
is now trading on the Mariehamn–Kapellskär
service until the delivery of the newbuilding
Viking ADCC.
The Viking XPRS is tailor made for
Viking Line’s service across the Gulf of
Finland. According to managing director
Nils-Erik Eklund the vessel is combining
the advantages of smaller high-speed vessels
and larger ferries. The result is a large
ferry that still is fast, but not as sensitive to
strong winds and rough seas as the small
catamarans and monohull vessels.
Another important quality is that the
Viking XPRS is built to highest ice class 1A
Super and should meet no difficulties during
a winter with normal or even severe ice
conditions.
Not the fastest
Although fast, the Viking XPRS is not the
fastest ferry on the Gulf of Finland. The
service speed of 25 knots is sufficient for
a crossing time of two and a half hours.
Still the fuel consumption is considerably
lower than on faster ferries in the same size
range. The Viking XPRS is by no means an
extreme design, it is simply just right for its
actual trade.
Safety issues have of course been of
highest priority when designing the Viking
XPRS, but she is certainly also one of the
most environmental friendly ferries on the
Baltic Sea.
There are four main engines of the type
Wärtsilä 8L46 with an output of 10,000 kW
each at 600 rpm. Excellent manoeuvring
characteristics are provided by a twin screw
and twin rudder arrangement in combination
with two bow thrusters of 1,500 kW
each.
The main engines and the auxiliary
engines are all equipped with catalytic
exhaust gas cleaning. Project Manager Kaj
Jansson of Viking Line informs that today
they have proved to be the most efficient
way to reduce exhaust gas emissions.
Black water is stored
No wastewater is dumped at sea as all grey,
black and bilge water is stored onboard and
left ashore in the port to be properly taken
care of.
Waste sorting and recycling is routine
on board. Because the underwater hull
is painted with non-toxic paints, the hull
is regularly cleaned by divers to keep the
surface smooth and maintain low fuel consumption.
Another feature is the exceptionally low
noise level from fans and engines in order
not to disturb the inhabitants close to the
port area.
The Viking XPRS is primarily intended
VIkINg XPRS
Type: Car/passenger ferry
Built by Aker Yards, Helsinki shipyard,
Finland. Delivered April 21, 2008 for Viking
Line Abp, Mariehamn, Åland.
Newbuilding no 1358. IMO no 9375654.
Swedish flag.
Class: Lloyd’s Register of Shipping +100 A1
Passenger and Vehicle Ferry, *IWS, Ice Class
1AS FS +LMC, uMS, NAV1, Finnish Ice class
1A super.
Loa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.71 m
Lbp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170.13 m
Beam, mld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.70 m
Depth, main deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.50 m
Draught, scantling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.75
Gross tonnage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,778
Net tonnage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,165
DWT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,372
Passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,500
Passenger cabins/beds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238/736
Crew cabins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Cargo capacity main deck, lane m . . . . . . 993
Cars, upper deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Machinery: 4xWärtsilä 8L46, 4x10,000 kW
at 600 rpm
Service speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 knots
for day crossings but there are also passenger
cabins on board for cruise passengers.
The vessel stays at Tallinn during
the night and on the evening sailing
from Helsinki it is possible for passengers
to spend the night on board and return
to Helsinki on the morning sailing from
Tallinn.
The interiors of the public spaces are
planned for a large number of deck passengers.
The passenger areas are concentrated
to two decks, including several restaurants
and a pub. There is also a separate section
on board for conference and business passengers.
Easy access to shopping area
The Viking XPRS has a large cargo deck
but she is not a ro-pax ferry. In addition
to the main car deck there is an upper car
deck for private cars with easy access from
the shopping area. On the main deck there
is capacity for 1,000 lane metres of cargo
vehicles and on the upper car deck for 230
cars. Loading of the upper deck is in Helsinki
carried out via main deck and a tilting
ramp.
In Tallinn an external ramp has been
built in the port, allowing access directly
to the upper deck through a side door. The
cargo handling equipment is supplied by
TTS Ships Equipment AB.
The integrated navigations system on the
bridge is supplied by SAM Electronics.
pär-henrik sjöström
72 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • DECEMBER 19, 2008
jOuNI SAARISTO