The Decatrip project has received financing for developing solutions to make the Stockholm-Turku ferry service (freight and passengers) zero-carbon.

The project comprises Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), Viking Line, Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU), and Kempower.

Business Finland has granted €1,596k to RMC, ÅAU and Kempower, while the Government of Åland backed Viking Line. PBI Research Institute will coordinate Decatrip.

RMC will develop energy-efficient solutions for operating the ships; Kempower - for charging electric vehicles aboard the vessels. ÅAU will evaluate the societal benefits of the green corridor.

Fuel for the zero-carbon transport is planned to be manufactured locally in Southwest Finland.

The parties hope to turn Viking Line's Stockholm-Turku service, which crosses the Åland Islands, into a carbon-neutral crossing by 2027. The company's flagships, the gas-run Viking Glory and Viking Grace, operate on the route.

"The solutions developed in the project will enable fully carbon-neutral freight and passenger travel between Turku and Stockholm, but the project will also be scalable for other routes. This is important since all EU countries, Finland included, have signed on to build green maritime transport corridors," Mika Laurilehto, RMC's interim CEO, underlined.

Dr Magnus Gustafsson, Research Director in Industrial Management at ÅAU also highlighted, "Consumers increasingly want the products and services they buy to be sustainable, and this is reflected throughout the entire logistics chain. The project is starting from the position that the transition to zero emissions will not increase the costs significantly. This will provide passengers with a sustainable alternative, an opportunity for the industry to gain competitive advantage in sustainable transport, and a tangible example of how we can eliminate emissions in seafaring using Finnish expertise."

Photo: Viking Line