The green shipping corridor between Turku and Stockholm took another important step forward when Valio’s dairy products started to be transported across the Gulf of Finland on Viking Glory and Viking Grace, which run on biofuel, in early May. The green shipping corridor will help Valio to achieve a fully carbon-neutral milk chain by 2035, Viking Line said.
Since early May, the Finnish dairy products company Valio has had its products transported from Finland to Sweden fossil-free on board Viking Line’s vessels. The maritime leg of the transport chain from Turku to Stockholm is served by Viking Line’s climate-smart vessels, Viking Glory and Viking Grace, which use biofuel made from waste (liquefied biogas or LBG) to transport Valio’s products. The biofuel produces about 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to using fossil fuels.
“Fossil-free maritime transport is still rare – globally, it accounts for only about 0.1 per cent of maritime traffic. However, maritime transport’s green transition is possible here and now, which is demonstrated by choosing fossil-free maritime transport on our vessels. We hope more and more of our cargo customers will choose biogas for their transport,” says Viking Line’s Freight Director, Harri Tamminen.
The transport chain for shipping Valio’s products to Sweden begins at the company’s operational sites across Finland.
“We have worked with great focus to reduce our emissions throughout the value chain. We can now proudly announce that our goods transports - both by lorry and by ship - are completely fossil-free. This is one step towards our goal of achieving a totally carbon-neutral milk chain by 2035,” says Valio Sweden’s Sustainability Manager, Anette Bjornlund.
A green shipping corridor is being developed between Turku and Stockholm, which will be in place by 2035. An important part of this work is increasing the share of biofuel used on Viking Line’s vessels. The project involves, among others, the Ports of Turku and Stockholm. About 90 per cent of all cargo from Finland to Sverige is transported by sea.
Along with Valio, the Norwegian conglomerate Orkla ASA has chosen Viking Line’s green maritime cargo transport option, shipping Felix ketchup from Sweden to Finland on vessels fuelled by biogas.
In addition to its cargo customers, Viking Line also offers other passengers and its conference customers the option of purchasing biogas equivalent to the amount used for their trip. In that way, emissions per passenger are reduced by 90 per cent.
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