Viking Line has revealed to TRBusiness that it has come up with a new way of doing business, as it prepares to return to full service in early July.

At the time of interview, all vessels except M/S Cinderella and M/S Amorella were in use for passenger traffic. These two ships will be added to the mix on 2 July, meaning all seven vessels will be operating normally.

M/S Mariella will sail the Helsinki-Tallinn route from 2 July until 9 August. The vessel will supplement the normal M/S Viking XPRS between Helsinki and Tallinn with four additional daily departures. M/S Cinderella will return to sail the Stockholm–Mariehamn route, along with special cruises from Stockholm to Visby.

M/S Amorella and M/S Viking Grace will sail the Turku–Åland–Stockholm route, M/S Gabriella the Helsinki–Åland route and M/S Rosella the Mariehamn–Kapellskär route.

In conversation with TRBusiness, Kim Engblom, Tax Free, Sales and Purchasing, Viking Line also indicated the Group’s new Viking Glory vessel remains on track to be operational in early 2021.

VIKING GLORY LAUNCH ON TRACK

The ship, which will have capacity for 2,8000 passengers is being built by the Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd in China. The construction process was disrupted due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, but with the situation in China seemingly easing, everything appears to be back on track.

Engblom said: “Customers can now pre-order their items and pick them up at various collection points on board. Passengers can also have food delivered to their cabins.

“These new pre-order systems were implemented a while back and are ideal for passengers not looking to move around too much.”

The ordinary pre-order concept, which enables passengers to order before they travel remains operational. He explained: “The traditional pre-order concept enables products to be delivered to cars. The new system is for ordinary walking passengers [who do not have a bus or car] and do not want to go the shops.”

Emphasising the importance of pre-order in general post Covid-19 he added: “Per-order and web-shopping is a major part of our plan following the pandemic. We believe most of our passengers will come from Finland and want to shop on board to stock up their homes.

“Our pre-order solutions will be the best way of doing this.”

Moving forward, Viking Line will introduce new protective measures at till-points to protect staff but will not alter the layout of stores. “We will ensure there are not too many people in our stores at any one time and do our best to make all customers feel safe.

“The number of customers leaving and entering our shops will be monitored digitally, but we may have individuals outside the stores letting people in and ensuring social distancing while waiting in line.”

Reflecting on the Coivd-19 period and the impact it has had on overall business, Engblom identified Viking Line’s cargo traffic as a major positive. “All seven of our vessels remained operational, even though we were unable to take ordinary passengers on board. Our retail outlets were open to serve the truck drivers.”

 

Viking Line may have started carrying regular passengers again, but vessels will not reach capacity for some time. “Things are opening up and we are able to carry passengers. That said, we are not handling anywhere near the number of passengers we would normally during the peak season.

“Thankfully, however, things are getting a little better each week and we are increasing the number of passengers we can take on the ships we have in operation.”

Assessing the cruise and ferry industry’s recovery prospects Engblom said: “If we compare ourselves to airports, the cruise and ferry sector and perhaps the border stores will be first to recover. We definitely see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Asked by TRBusiness to predict the impact of the pandemic on Viking Line retail revenue in 2020, he remarked: “I do not want to guess how much business will be down and am looking to the future with optimism.”

Pre-crisis, fashion and perfumes were performing strongly, but liquor and tobacco are now leading the way. “Beer and wine consumption are also quite good. The traditional product categories will do well during this period and in the coming year.”

Looking to the future, sustainability will be a key focus for the Group, which appointed Danny Lindberg as its new sustainability manager earlier this year. “Sustainability will be one of the key points for our business. It will also be an important theme when Viking Glory is launched.”