Viking Grace Coverage

Viking Grace had a successful first year

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Viking Grace Coverage Viking Grace Coverage

Published: 15 January 2014 15 January 2014

Viking Line’s newest vessel – Viking Grace – has cruised the Baltic Sea for a year now. Viking Line is very pleased with the interest the new ship has raised and its popularity during the first year. The utilization rate has been high all year and the vessel has raised Viking Line’s market share on the Turku-Stockholm-Turku route to 57.3%. The end of the ship’s first year will be celebrated with an All-inclusive Anniversary Cruise on 13–15 January 2014.

Viking Grace is the newest ferry on the Baltic Sea, and it has elevated the cruise experiences in the area to a totally new level by offering more alternatives to Baltic passengers. The vessel has raised a great deal of interest both internationally and in Finland, and it has provided a significant boost to the whole field.

"We’re extremely happy about the fact that Viking Grace has attracted a fresh group of newcomers to come and experience the cruises of the 2000s. People have been delighted by the novel design and pleased with all the services onboard, such as the various restaurants and the Spa & Wellness department," concludes Mikael Backman, Viking Line’s President and CEO.

1.3 million passengers, 130,000 fragrances sold and other figures

The first year on Viking Grace has accommodated many events. Many Finnish, Swedish and international guests as well have been keen to experience this pioneer of Baltic cruises, and the one-millionth passenger milestone was already celebrated onboard with a great deal of jubilation last September.

It has taken more than 882 000 onboard work hours a year to produce the cruise experiences. Onboard the Viking Grace, there are roughly 225 people in 40 varying tasks – ranging from cook to cruise manager and from troubadour to captain.

Viking Grace aims to serve up new experiences also for culinary enthusiasts by providing novel restaurants and food-based trends on the Baltic. At this moment, the hottest culinary trend is gourmet hot dogs with champagne. During the summer, Ramenburger – New York’s big food hit – was launched onboard, and Frank’s Restaurant has already prepared more than 1,000 of them.

The vessel’s has the world’s largest floating Tax-Free World, boasting about 10,000 varied products for sale. During the year, the shop has sold, among other things, 6,700 pairs of Converse shoes, 130,000 fragrances and 43,000 pieces of jewellery.

Viking Grace has carried one million passengers in nine months

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Viking Grace Coverage Viking Grace Coverage

Published: 01 October 2013 01 October 2013

Viking Grace, the 57,000 gross ton lng powered cruise ferry Viking Line introduced in January, has carried one million passengers since entering service.

"The one-millionth traveller boarded the ship on 30 September 2013 in a festive atmosphere. Viking Line has been satisfied with the ship’s initial venture and the wide attention it has gathered. The rate of utilization has been quite positive and the vessel has inspired considerable interest – internationally as well," the Finnish cruise ferry company said in a statement.

“The green values respected by Viking Grace as well as its new type of design in particular has brought an impressively large number of new passengers on board. Internationality has also been seen amongst the visitors, and some very prestigious individuals have also been seen on these cruises, such as former Finnish president Mauno Koivisto,” said Johanna Molin, Viking Grace Product Manager,in the statement.

In the first six months of the year, the company's seven cruise ferries carried a total of 3.0 million passengers.

 

Viking Grace will have its own ecological wines

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Viking Grace Coverage Viking Grace Coverage

Published: 07 January 2013 07 January 2013

Viking Line’s new vessel, the M/ S Viking Grace, will feature a high-quality wine list that will also include the vessel’s own wines: a red, a white, a dessert wine and a champagne.

The vessel’s wines are made by producers who work with ecological or biodynamic cultivation. The Chapoutier, Zind-Humbrecht and Larmandier-Bernier wine houses are old, familiar producers while Château Dudon is a new acquaintance.

“The Viking Grace combines handsome design with green values. In keeping with this, we wanted to find classical elegant wines from well-reputed producers,” says Pekka Rajala, who is chairman of Viking Line’s Wine Council. By coincidence, all four choices turned out to be from France.

The vessel’s champagne: Larmandier-Bernier

The Larmandier and Bernier families have been working the vines in the Champagne region since the French Revolution. In 1971 Philippe Larmandier and his wife Elisabeth Bernier founded the current Larmandier-Bernier champagne house, located in the village of Vertus in the southern part of the Côte de Blancs. In 1988 their son Pierre Larmandier took over management of the company. Since 2003 the vineyard has operated according to certified biodynamic principles. The area under cultivation is 15 hectares, located in five villages (Vertus, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize). Bernier-Larmandier champagne consists of 80 per cent Chardonnay grapes and the rest Pinot Noir. The flavour is sophisticated, gentle and elegant.

The vessel’s white wine: 2009 Herrenweg de Turckheim Riesling

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht was founded in 1959 when Léonard Humbrecht married Geneviève Zind. Their winery is located in Turckheim, Alsace. The Humbrecht family has been growing wines since 1620. Today the domaine is managed by Léonard’s son Olivier Humbrecht, who was the first Frenchman to qualify as a Master of Wine in the U.K. It has 40 hectares of vineyards, located in five villages in the Haut-Rhin. 

Their wines have the qualities that are characteristic of the Alsace region, which are amplified both by painstaking biodynamic cultivation methods and during fermentation. They avoid heavy machinery and advocate manual labour or using beasts of burden. The compost thus generated is used as fertiliser. The vineyard received organic culture (ECOCERT) certification in 1998 and biodynamic producer certification (BIODYVIN) in 2002.

The Herrenweg vineyard is located in Turckheim next to the Fecht river, where the soil is gravel-like, drains easily, is warm and yields an early harvest. The soil in this area may lack minerals because the clay is easily washed away by rainwater. Older grapevines compensate for this, since their deep roots reach down to the nutrients. The biodynamic method of cultivation increases the number of micro-organisms in the soil, releasing minerals. Fermentation of the wine occurs slowly, and some sweetness is preserved. Herrenweg de Turckheim Riesling has a classic floral nose that is specific to these vineyards. Because of the natural warmth of the gravel-like soil, the character of the wine does not risk weakening, and the air also contributes a splash of citrus. Its flavour is very seductive and surprisingly fresh. The elegant finish is a Herrenweg classic.


The vessel’s red wine: Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers BIO

The family-owned Maison M. Chapoutier is one of the best-known wine producers in the Rhône region. Dating back to 1808, it now has 160 hectares of vineyards in the northern Rhône. Chapoutier also owns sizeable properties in Hermitage and has invested in Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Banyuls and South Australia. The business is run by brothers Michel and Marc Chapoutier.


Crozes-Hermitage BIO is an ecological product, made from hand-picked Syrah grapes. The grapevines, which grow on south-facing slopes, are at least 25 years old. The wine is produced according to old, traditional methods and allowed to mature for 12 months before being bottled. Its colour is a deep purplish red, with blackcurrant and raspberry discernible in the nose. Its rich flavour is very fruity and is spiced with a dash of vanilla. This wine is ideal with various kinds of meat dishes.

The vessel’s dessert wine: 2009 Château Dudon 2009 – women’s wine

The best dessert wines are said to come from the Sauternes area of Bordeaux. Château Dudon is a typical vineyard in this area, dating back to the 17th century. During the French Revolution it expanded to 12 hectares. In 1868 the current proprietor family took over Château Dudon. In recent generations, ownership has been passed from parents to daughters. This is why Château Dudon is called a “women’s wine.” The current owner is Evelyne Allien.


The ecologically cultivated grapes are gathered in September–October, when only the ripest fruits are picked. In this way they have time to develop a favourable “noble rot” with the help of the Botrytis fungus, as well as to shrivel and achieve a high sugar content. During fermentation, the sugar content is reduced to about 110 g/litre. This sweetness, the noble rot, a 20-month fermentation process in oak barrels and old, traditional methods enable the wine to last for decades and gives them the characteristic flavour of Sauternes.

The wine is golden yellow in colour, with a nose of exotic fruits and honey. The wine has a long finish, with a touch of caramelized orange peel, saffron and spices. The 50 cl bottle is an optimal size for cellaring but also for serving a small group of guests.

Viking Line has an ongoing competition for Finnish art students, who have been asked to design a series of four labels for the vessel’s wines.

Isover reduces weight of insulation on Viking Grace by 50%

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Viking Grace Coverage Viking Grace Coverage

Published: 09 November 2012 09 November 2012

Viking Grace is a passenger and car ferry being constructed to operate along the Turku – Aland Islands (Finland) – Stockholm (Sweden) route on the Baltic Sea. When launched in 2013, she will be the world’s most environmentally-friendly and most energy efficient passenger ship of her size, with a gross tonnage of 57,000 and a length of 210m (880 cabins, capacity of 2800 passengers). STX Finland, is building the vessel Viking Grace for an estimated cost of €240m.

 

The ship uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, thus generating significantly less emission in comparison to ships using oil. To further reduce fuel consumption and its footprint on the environment, optimizing the weight of the ship has been a key priority.

 

ISOVER mineral wool Marine solutions have been extensively used to reach this objective. Approximately 40.000m2 of lightweight ISOVER Glasswool solutions and 90.000m2 of ISOVER ULTIMATE solutions for fire protection structures (A15 to A60), with a total weight of 240t, have been installed, enabling a staggering weight reduction on the insulation of 230t compared to traditional solutions, thus decreasing the insulation weight by 50%.

 

Among others, ULTIMATE solutions U MFA 66 30mm and U MPN 66 70mm have been installed to provide 1h fire protection to steel bulkhead constructions (A60). The unique lightness of ISOVER Marine solutions has been identified as a clear advantage for the ship-owner Viking Line and the shipyard STX Finland to increase the energy efficiency of this passenger ship. We wish its future passengers and crew: safe, swift and `graceful ́ sailings.