Viking Grace, the 58,000 gross ton LNG powered cruise ferry on order for Viking Line at STX Finland's Turku shipyard, will be launched today, the company said in a statement. The company also disclosed some details about the design concept of the vessel.

"Viking Grace is a concrete expression of Viking Line’s belief in future passenger traffic featuring good on-board service, new on-board concepts and green values. The vessel will replace the M/S Isabella on the Turku−Åland Islands (Finland)−Stockholm (Sweden) route in January 2013," the company said in a statement. Viking Grace is the first large passenger vessel in the world fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). By using this fuel alternative, Viking Line will greatly reduce emissions: nitrogen by 85 per cent and carbon dioxide by 20 per cent. Sulphur and particulate emissions are practically zero. The LNG tanks are located outside on the rear deck.

Viking Grace embodies the ambition of Viking Line to combine state-of-the-art design with new on-board concepts that place extra focus on friendly, customer-centred service. The entire vessel concept reflects fresh thinking that takes all the human senses into account. A great deal of thought has gone into lighting, sound and the different hours of the day and night. Beautiful archipelago vistas will glide past as seen from the vessel’s fantastic panoramic view windows, combined with a quiet and comfortable voyage during all the seasons of the year.

The new vessel features completely new cabin categories with very high standards. Seaside cabins have a view of the sea through large windows, and Inside cabins are on the other side of the same corridor. One pleasant innovation for families with children is that they will now be able to stay in a family cabin, that is, a cabin with a double bed that is combined with a four-bed cabin. The vessel also offers many cabins specially adapted for people with allergies or limited mobility.

Four exclusive suites ─ all with their own unique concepts ─ are located at the far forward end of the vessel. These cabins were conceived by the leading Finnish interior design company dSign Vertti Kivi & Co, which has also been responsible for the interior design of the vessel’s public spaces. The new concepts are the following:

FLOW − a trendy, fresh and youthful suite. Relaxed.

ORGANIC − a suite that has a calm, harmonic mood and features green elements as well as its own sauna.

ROMANTIC − a romantic suite that is perfect for a couple celebrating an anniversary, for example.

HI-TECH − a hyper-modern suite with clean lines, a HiFi touch and its own jacuzzi.