Decatrip project enables 1 of the world’s 1st green maritime corridors

Photo: Viking Line

The innovation project Decatrip, which began in 2022, has been completed.

The project, a collaboration between Åbo Akademi University, Rauma Marine Constructions, Viking Line and Kempower, enables one of the world’s first green maritime corridors.

The goal of the project was to develop one of the world’s first green corridors on the maritime route between Turku, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden.

The project has investigated the technology needed to modernize Viking Line’s vessels and retrofit them with batteries to reduce fuel consumption and methane emissions.

“Viking Line can now offer green transport services to their customers, effectively creating one of the world’s first green maritime corridors,” said Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, the communications director for Viking Line. “Today we can offer biofuel to our passengers and freight customers by calculating the emissions attributed to the journey. By opting for biofuel, we’re able to accordingly boost our procurement of 100 percent renewable biofuel for low-emission travel.”

Each partner had a specific role in the project.

Viking Line developed a commercial model based on carbon-neutral maritime transport.

RMC analyzed how existing ships could be upgraded to be more environmentally friendly.

Kempower developed retrofittable charging devices for electric vehicles on ships.

ÅAU developed a simulation model to optimize battery and electric-vehicle charging devices.

Additionally, ÅAU analyzed the project’s societal benefits and developed a framework for analyzing similar projects.

“The Decatrip project proved that sustainable shipping using renewable fuels is feasible, but you need to consider the whole business case and involve both technology providers and end customers,” said Magnus Gustafsson, research director at the Laboratory of Industrial Management at Åbo Akademi University. “By doing so it was possible to create the world’s first green maritime corridor.”

RMC’s research in the project also bore fruit.

According to the research, implementing hybrid solutions for the Turku–Stockholm route and similar routes elsewhere in the world is feasible even on a tight schedule.

“The lifespan of ships is long,” said Mika Laurilehto, RMC’s deputy CEO. “Therefore, it is important that existing ships can be modernized into hybrids, thereby promoting the green transition in maritime transport. As a result of the project, RMC is fully prepared to carry out similar modernizations on comparable routes. Finland, as a state, is committed to establishing green marine corridors, and this successful project supports that commitment.”

The project partners will continue to develop the green corridor between Turku and Stockholm.

Additionally, the project assessed the scalability potential of the concept for developing other similar corridors.

The Decatrip project, which began in 2022, received partial funding from Business Finland.

The majority of the funding came from the participating companies.