Viking Line
General information
Viking Line commenced service in 1959, when the S/S Viking began sailing between the Finnish mainland, the Åland Islands and Sweden.
Today's Viking Line Abp was established in 1963 under the name Ålandsfärjan Ab. It gained a listing on the Helsinki Stock Exchange on July 5, 1995.
Today Viking Line has seven vessels, which sail between the Finnish mainland, Åland and Sweden as well as between Finland and the Baltic states. Operations include passenger services, recreation and cargo carrier services. Viking Line is market leader in the ferry traffic between Sweden and Finland. In 2007, almost 5.7 million passengers travelled with the operator Viking Line.
Historie
A new era in passenger travel between the Finnish mainland, the Åland Islands and Sweden began late in the spring of 1959. That was when the first genuine Baltic Sea car ferry, the S/S Viking, was placed in service by a new company called Vikinglinjen Ab, which had been established at the initiative of an Åland sea captain, Gunnar Eklund.
Three shipping companies - Vikinglinjen Ab, Rederi AB Slite and Ålandsfärjan Ab (later SF Line Ab) - soon began working together through a joint marketing company called Oy Viking Line Ab. After two of these three lines suspended their ferry services, the marketing company became a wholly owned subsidiary of SF Line, which today operates under the name Viking Line Abp and is the market-leading cruise and ferry company on the Baltic Sea.
More than fifty vessels have sailed in the fleets of the Viking shipping companies since regular ferry traffic began in 1959. Over the decades, the size, service concepts and range of attractions of these vessels have undergone dramatic changes - from the humble second-hand car ferries of the early years to the impressive fleet of today.
Viking Line vessels combine the luxury and sumptuousness of cruise ships with high-capacity vehicle decks, thereby meeting the needs of cargo traffic and of tourists who wish to continue their journey by car.
