A Viking Line cruise ferry that was driven ashore in the Aland Islands during a storm has been sent to a shipyard in Finland for repairs.
The 58,000-gt ropax Viking Grace (built 2013) appeared in video footage to struggle to maintain position on Saturday afternoon while being lashed by high winds and heavy rain as it negotiated the narrow passage into Mariehamn in the Baltic Sea, a midway stopover from Stockholm to Turku in Finland.
The vessel was carrying 331 passengers and 98 crew members. It has a maximum capacity of 2,800 passengers.
Finland-based Viking Line said the passengers and crew spent Saturday night on board the Viking Grace. They were provided with dinner and a cabin.
Divers inspected the ferry’s hull on Saturday evening, and it was refloated early on Sunday morning and towed to Mariehamn and moored alongside the ferry terminal.
Viking Line subsequently stated that “authorities and the classification society Lloyd’s Register have given permission for Viking Grace to transport the remaining passengers from Mariehamn to Turku under its own power. There is no security risk.”
The ship arrived in Turku on Sunday evening.
The company added that the ship will undergo repairs at a shipyard in Turku. Another of the company’s ferries will be deployed as a replacement vessel until the end of November.
Viking Line touts the Viking Grace as one of the most environmentally sustainable ferries afloat. In 2018, the LNG-fuelled vessel was fitted in with a Norsepower rotor sail that the manufacturer claimed would cut fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions by up to 900 tonnes annually.
