Aker delivers Viking XPRS

Aker Yards recently delivered a 34,000 gt fast passenger-car ferry named ‘Viking XPRS’ for Viking Line at a cost of EUR 130 million. The Turku yard built the steel sections which were shipped to Helsinki for assembly and outfitting.

The environmentally friendly fast ferry designed to carry passengers and cars between Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia is intended for year-around service regardless of weather conditions and is built to the highest Finnish ice class 1 A Super. The newbuilding represents an entirely new concept in Baltic Sea ferry service, bringing together the best qualities of conventional car ferries and catamarans. The emphasis is on customer comfort, e.g. modern innovative restaurants and a high class conference centre.

With a length of 185 metres, a width of 27.70 metres and a draught of 6.55 metres, the ropax ferry has a carrying capacity for 2,500 passenger, 230 cars and 1,000 lane metres for trailers and buses. A service speed of 25 knots is achieved by means of a pair of 5.3 metre diameter Rolls Royce CP propellers driven by a 40 MW power plant consisting of four Wartsila medium speed 8L46F diesel engines. In addition, the ferry is fitted with three 1,500 kW thrusters (two forward and one aft) supplied by Rolls Royce.