Viking Line raises 50,000 euros for the University of Helsinki
The Baltic Sea is extremely important to Finland and Viking Line, both as a service route and as an area for leisure and recreation. To celebrate the centenary of Finland’s independence, Viking Line has raised funds to support Baltic Sea research. In 2017, the company has raised 50,000 euros through various activities for the Tvärminne Zoological Station, which is the largest centre for Baltic Sea research and education in Finland. The long-term work to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea has begun to yield results, but a great deal of basic research is still needed.
Tvärminne Zoological Station – the largest centre for Baltic Sea research in Finland
The University of Helsinki conducts important research on the Baltic Sea. This donation supports maritime research at the Tvärminne Zoological Station, which is run by the university. The station conducts research on topics such as biodiversity and the ecosystem as well as the effects of human activity on the Baltic Sea. In 2016, Viking Line donated 100,000 euros to the station. Combined with its 50,000 euro contribution this year, Viking Line’s donations have enabled the university to hire another researcher for three years in this important work for the Baltic Sea.
“The public takes an active interest in the condition of the Baltic Sea, and the long-term work to reduce nutrient discharges is starting to yield results. This is extremely good news and encourages us to continue our efforts. With climate change, the ecosystem is changing all the time, and we must continuously carry out top-quality basic research in order to answer the questions of the future. So it is crucial to have funding for basic research,” says Alf Norkko, a professor in Baltic Sea research.
Employees involved in fund-raising
In 2017, the company raised funds through a variety of activities, including a campaign that encouraged employees in Helsinki to bike to work. Twenty cents was paid for every kilometre people biked, with employees biking a total of 20,671 kilometres. On board, Ivana Helsinki Design’s specially designed cloth bags were launched in our tax- and duty-free shops, with some of the revenue generated from their sale allocated for the company’s donation. During the big spring campaign, Spring & Green, passengers donated some of the ticket revenue from cruises to the campaign. The climax of the funding drive was a successful lottery held on a Viking Grace cruise celebrating the centenary of Finland’s independence.
“Viking Line carries out long-term work on environmental issues. We strive to minimise our own energy use and emissions, and want to operate passenger service in a way that takes the environment into consideration. We are happy to fund partners that do important work for the Baltic Sea and believe it is vital to support basic research to study the condition of the Baltic Sea,” says Viking Line’s chief executive, Jan Hanses.
For further information, please contact:
Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Vice President, Corporate Communications, johanna.boijer@vikingline.com, tel. +358 18 277 48
Christa Grönlund, Communications Manager, Finland,
christa.gronlund@vikingline.com, tel. +358 9 123 5242
Eleonora Hansi, Communications Manager, Sweden,
eleonora.hansi@vikingline.com, tel. +46 8 452 41 41
Viking Line is a public limited company and a market-leading brand in passenger traffic on the northern Baltic Sea. It offers passenger services, recreation and cargo carrier services on the vessels Gabriella, Mariella, Amorella, Rosella, Viking Cinderella, Viking XPRS and on the flagship Viking Grace.
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