Viking Grace is the first passenger ship of its size that runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship was delivered in 2013 to Viking Line and since then it operates in the Baltic Sea between Turku, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden. All vessels operating in the Baltic Sea area need to comply with regulations allowing maximum of 0.10% fuel sulphur content to comply with local environmental regulations and emission control areas (ECAs).   

The fuel options for Viking Grace are liquefied natural gas (LNG), low sulphur heavy fuel oil or diesel. Auramarine fuel supply systems on Viking Grace are designed to fulfil the engine' requirements to run smoothly on LNG and to ensure that the vessel can quickly and safely be switched to operate on a backup fuel if needed.

Maintaining optimum LNG combustion cycle

The vessel mainly operates with LNG, with Auramarine’s customised fuel feeder units take care of steady flow of small amounts of Marine Gas Oil to the LNG.  The procedure is known as pilot fuel supply where its purpose is to maintain the specified combustion cycle. 

Enabling safe switching to backup fuel

At present, LNG-operated vessels require a back-up fuel system to mitigate the risk of vessel downtime in the event of a lack of LNG availability in ports, when on a long high seas transit, or if there is a challenge with an existing LNG system. This is important to ensure the continuation of operations and the safety of passengers, crew and cargo. Auramarine’s fuel supply units ensure that the backup fuel is supplied to the engine as specified, managing the fuel viscosity and temperature to secure engine health.

Following the success on the Viking Grace, Viking Line also deploys Auramarine fuel supply equipment on its new vessel Viking Glory, which enter the same route in the year 2022.

Auramarine delivery scope for Viking Grace:  

• 4 pcs Engine preheating units
• 2 pcs customised Feeder units AMF-F-500000-MDO to be utilised in case LNG operation is not possible
• 2 pcs AMB Feeder Booster Units AMB-M-2x15-S to be utilised in case LNG operation is not possible
• 2 pcs Feeder units for low-sulphur Marine Gas Oil

Auramarine delivery scope for Viking Glory:

• 6 pcs Auramarine Preheating units APU-M-12-54-S (serving each engine)
• 6 pcs Auramarine Pump and Filter units APF-M-5-MGO (serving each engine)
• 2 MGO Booster units AMB-M-36-P-EP, each unit for 3 engines