Viking Line starts to run vessels on bioLNG

Viking Line has started to run its two RoPax vessels, Viking Glory and Viking Grace, on liquefied biomethane (bioLNG) to generate compliance for Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime (FEUM) pooling service.

Demand for FEUM pooling is becoming so high that it would not be possible for Gasum to generate the needed compliance using just its own bunkering vessels anymore. That is why it is central to the scale and stability of our service that we are able to collaborate with a trusted partner such as Viking Line to expand the service to a larger group of shipowners. It’s great to deepen our long relationship with Viking Line through this collaboration even further, said Jacob Granqvist, Gasum’s VP of Maritime.

FEUM is a European Union regulation aimed at reducing the carbon intensity of fuels used in European maritime transport. To facilitate compliance, the regulation allows the voluntary pooling of emission reductions between vessels.

A pooling service is an easy and reliable way for shipping companies to reduce compliance costs while simultaneously promoting the use of low-emission fuels.

Viking Line has collaborated with Gasum for several years, and this agreement is based on the Letter of Intent (LoI) that the two companies signed at the end of 2024 on developing Gasum’s FEUM pooling service.

We at Viking Line aim to be among the frontrunners as Finnish maritime shows the world how to transition to a fossil-free future. We have been offering our passenger and cargo customers the chance to buy biomethane for their leg between Turku and Stockholm for two years now. This new move enables us to increase our bioLNG use to 50 percent, allowing for substantial emission cuts on the route. We are more than happy to work with Gasum to help the whole European maritime industry reduce emissions by using more biofuel, said Jan Hanses, CEO of Viking Line.

Waste-based bioLNG

Gasum uses waste-based bioLNG in designated vessels with dual-fuel propulsion to generate regulatory compliance on behalf of the off-takers in the pool.

BioLNG is a fully renewable fuel, with life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are, on average, 90 percent lower compared to traditional fossil fuels like marine gasoil (MGO), and generate virtually no sulphur or particulate matter (PM) emissions.

Gasum manages the pool, supplies the bioLNG, and offers over-compliance to shipping companies with conventional fuel vessels.

By running on bioLNG, Viking Line contributes to emission reductions in Gasum’s pooling service for FuelEU Maritime compliance, which is used by vessels that cannot use biofuel themselves. Viking Line thus helps the entire maritime transport sector to reduce emissions. Starting on January 1, 2025, vessels must reduce their emissions by two percent, but required reductions will increase all the way to 80 percent by 2050. We therefore need trailblazers like Viking Line, which can pave the way for others, said Jacob Granqvist.

Sixfold increase in bioLNG

Viking Line currently operates two gas-powered RoPax vessels, Viking Grace and Viking Glory, both of which sail daily between the Port of Turku, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, transporting cargo and passengers across the Baltic Sea.

In 2023, Viking Line used 10 tonnes of bioLNG and about 600 tonnes in 2024. This year, bioLNG use will increase at least sixfold to 3,800 tonnes, roughly equivalent to the total annual fuel consumption of Viking Glory.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be used as a complement.

The regular route brings valuable predictability to the amount of compliance generated for the pool. At the same time, Viking Line’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced by 17,000 tonnes.

We have worked with others to create the market for bioLNG. Supply has now increased to a level that enables the use of renewable fuel to a significant extent. We have now been able to agree on our purchases through to October, and our goal is to continue at the same level. Moreover, the amount of bioLNG used will increase thanks to the fossil-free maritime journeys that our customers purchase, said Dani Lindberg, Head of Sustainability, Viking Line.

Further, Gasum uses DNV’s technology to collect and validate the pool’s fuel consumption and emissions data. At the end of the year, DNV will verify the pool’s balance for EU reporting purposes.

Passengers can cut emissions

With the significant rise in the use of biofuels, Viking Line is providing fossil-free maritime transport on all routes for the first time.

For an additional fee, passengers, conference guests, and cargo customers can opt to make their journey completely fossil-free, which means their trip does not generate any fossil emissions.

In a 2025 survey for Finnish maritime transport carried out by EPSI Rating, 45 percent of respondents indicated that they will make more sustainable choices in the future when they travel. These alternatives will become a reality only through long-term development work, bold investments, and good collaboration. For example, the increased use of biofuel and the resulting decrease in total emissions have been made possible thanks to the company’s EUR 450 million investment in Viking Glory and Viking Grace, said Dani Lindberg.

Developing Baltic Sea green corridors

Viking Line has been involved in developing a green maritime corridor between Turku and Stockholm as well as between Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, Estonia.

Green corridors are transit routes by which goods and passengers are transported in a way that is climate-neutral.

In June 2025, the company presented a concept for a 100 percent electric passenger car ferry on the Helsinki–Tallinn route, which could be placed in service as early as 2030.

We want to be among the pioneers when Finnish maritime transport shows the way to a fossil-free future for the rest of the world. Major investments in sustainable solutions require predictability in operations and good collaboration both throughout the maritime cluster and with public sector actors, ended Jan Hanses.