Viking Line has ordered Elomatic’s Elogrid solution to be fitted on the ‘Viking Grace’ – the third Viking ferry to have the system installed.
Elogrid is claimed to reduce the additional resistance of a vessel and improve thrust. The decision has a significant impact on the environmental issues of Viking Line’s operations – fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be significantly reduced, the company said.
The system is installed at the entrance of tunnel thrusters to reduce the ship’s additional resistance. The installation will take place in January, 2023 during the ropax’s periodical drydocking.
Using Elogrid will reduce ‘Viking Grace’s’ fuel consumption by more than 3%, which means around 3,000 kg less CO2 emissions per day. The solution also increases the thrust of the tunnel propellers and thus aids the ship’s manoeuvrability in strong winds.
In addition, Elogrid improves safety and travel comfort, as the noise from the propellers and the ship’s vibration are reduced, the company said.
“We’ve seen on previous projects, that Elogrid helps us reduce the environmental impact of our operations and improve the ship’s manoeuvrability. Also, it eliminates vibration,” said Viking Line’s Technical Manager, Mathias Sundberg.
“We see huge growth potential in solutions that improve the energy efficiency of ships. Environmentally conscious shipowners are constantly developing the energy efficiency of their ships,” added Elomatic’s CEO, Patrik Rautaheimo.
Color Line has also ordered the Elogrid solution for two of its passenger car ferries to improve their energy efficiency.
The Norwegian ferry company is to fit the ropaxes ‘Superspeed 1’ and ‘Superspeed 2’ with the system. Elogrid will be installed in early 2023 during their periodical drydockings also at the entrance of the bow and aft tunnel thrusters to reduce the vessels’ additional resistance.
“The Elogrid solution will enable us to further raise the efficiency of these vessels while simultaneously lowering their carbon footprint, thereby supporting our drive to continuously improve our product offering,” said Robin Tomren, Color Line’s Vice President for Sustainable Port and Tonnage Development.
“We are extremely happy that Color Line is taking the Elogrid high performance solution into use. Our customers have very good operational experiences with it,” added Rami Hirsimäki, Elomatic’s Senior Vice President, Marine and Offshore Energy.
