Viking Line conceptualizes the world’s largest electric passenger-car ferry

Local content Made in Finland
Viking Line assumes that the project can be implemented as early as the early 2030s. The project’s conceptual assumptions have been given the name Helios. According to the operator, it would be the largest unit of its kind in the world. It is assumed that the electric passenger and car ferry between Helsinki and Tallinn will carry around 2,000 passengers, and the cargo line will be around 2,000 m long.

The conceptual assumptions for the Helios ship have already been developed by Viking Line’s offices. It has been assumed that sailing on the planned route will be possible thanks to battery packs with a capacity of around 85–100 megawatt-hours. This should be enough to complete the cruise across the Gulf of Finland in just over two hours. The length of the concept ship has been designed at 195 meters. Its width has been determined at 30 meters. It is assumed that the main engines should provide a speed of around 23 knots. With the aforementioned length and width of the ship, the cargo space of the car decks may be around 2 kilometers. The Helios will have the silhouette of a typical ro-pax, and will be distinguished mainly by the lack of a chimney.

The shipowner also took care to ensure local content. The Helios is the result of research cooperation between Viking Line and the Rauma shipyard and other partners operating mainly in Finland. The concept was designed specifically for the Helsinki–Tallinn ferry service. The battery-powered ship should easily cover 80 kilometers, or 43 nautical miles. According to the operator and the design office, this connection is ideal for introducing electric ship cruises. The electric ship will be charged while docked. It was determined that to cover approximately 45 nautical miles, the battery batteries will need over 30 megawatt-hours to charge.

It should be emphasized that the most environmentally friendly car-passenger ferry was built for the Finnish operator in the Finnish shipyard. The M/F Aurora Botnia is equipped with the latest ecological technology. The ship is much more environmentally friendly than current requirements, making it the world’s first car-passenger ferry to meet Clean Design criteria. Aurora Botnia can sail between ports on electric power. The ferry, built for a Finnish shipowner and operated by WASALINE, is an example of how Finns care about local content.

Helios heralds a new era
– Helios heralds a new era in maritime transport, just like the first sailing, steam and motor ships did in their time. The concept proves that emission-free maritime transport on a large scale is no longer a utopia – said Jan Hanses, CEO of Viking Line, when announcing the launch of the project. In his opinion, “The world’s largest fully electric passenger and car ferries could be in operation as early as the beginning of the next decade. We are strongly committed to the ambitious vision that Helios represents.”

The operator emphasizes that Viking Line has been developing its activities towards low-emission shipping for a long time, investing hundreds of millions of euros in groundbreaking technologies. Viking Grace, delivered in 2013, was the world’s first passenger ship to use both liquefied natural gas and biogas as fuel. In 2022, Viking Grace will be coupled with an even more climate-friendly ship, Viking Glory.

Thanks to these investments in ships, passengers on Viking Line’s routes can now choose biofuel for an additional fee, reducing emissions from their journey by 90%. In addition, the first Viking Line customers have signed agreements for the use of biofuel.

Emission-free shipping in the Gulf of Finland is supported by the FIN-EST Green Corridor project, initiated by the cities of Helsinki and Tallinn. The project is also initiated and participated in by the ports of Helsinki and Tallinn, the Estonian Ministry of Climate, Viking Line, Rederi AB Eckerö and Tallink Grupp.