Viking Line Abp is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. The company is headquartered in Mariehamn, Åland. Viking Line currently operates five ferries, of which four serve routes to Stockholm and one operates to Tallinn.[2]
The activities of Viking Line include route trips, cruises and cargo traffic. In 2023, Viking Line employed an average of 2,138 people both on land and on sea. As well as the corporation's own staff, the MS Viking XPRS employs an average of 65 contracted workers.[3]
Company history
Early years: 1959–1966
Viking Line's history dates back to 1959, when a group of maritime professionals and businessmen from the Åland Islands founded Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen. The company purchased the steam-powered car ferry SS Dinard from the United Kingdom, renamed her SS Viking (1924), and began service on the Korpo (Finland)–Mariehamn (Åland)–Gräddö (Sweden) route.[4][5] That same year, the Gotland-based Rederi AB Slite launched a competing service between Simpnäs (Sweden) and Mariehamn.[5]
In 1962, internal disagreements led a group of shareholders to leave Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen and establish Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan, which began operating a Gräddö–Mariehamn route the following year.[5]
As competition intensified, the three companies realized that continued rivalry would be unsustainable. In 1965, Vikinglinjen and Slite began cooperating,[5] and in late July 1966 Viking Line was established as a joint marketing company for all three operators.[4][5] To avoid confusion with the new brand, Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen changed its name to Rederi Ab Solstad.[5] The red hull livery was adopted from Slite's Ålandspilen service[5][6] (to which it had been taken from the colour of the chairman's wife's lipstick![7]). In 1967 Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan changed its name to SF Line[5]
1967–1985
During this period, Viking Line functioned solely as a marketing company. Each owner retained control of its own fleet and routes, although schedules were coordinated. The ships were easily distinguished by naming conventions: Sally vessels carried the prefix Viking, Slite ships were named after figures from Roman and Greek mythology, and SF Line vessels ended with the suffix -ella, honoring managing director Gunnar Eklund's wife, Ellen. During the 1970s Viking expanded greatly and overtook Silja Line as the largest shipping consortium on the Northern Baltic Sea. Between 1970 and 1973 Slite and Sally took delivery of five nearly identical ships built at Meyer Werft Germany, namely MS Apollo and MS Diana for Slite, and MS Viking 1, MS Viking 3 and MS Viking 4 for Sally. MS Viking 5, delivered in 1974, was an enlarged version of the same design.[5] These so-called Papenburg sisters can be considered to be one of the most successful ships designs of all times (the shipyard built three additional sisters of the original design for Transbordadores for ship services in Mexico: Coromuel,[9] Puerto Vallarta[10]
1985–1993
A turning point came in 1985 when SF Line introduced MS Mariella, then the largest cruiseferry in the world, on the Helsinki–Stockholm route. This ended Sally's monopoly on the service. The following year, Slite introduced MS Olympia, forcing Sally out of the route entirely. While SF Line and Slite were planning additional newbuilds, Sally were in an extremely poor position financially and in 1987 Effoa and Johnson Line, the owners of Silja Line, purchased Sally. As a result, SF Line and Slite forced Sally to leave the Viking Line consortium.[5]
Between 1988 and 1990 SF Line took delivery of three new ships (MS Amorella, MS Isabella and MS Cinderella) while Slite took delivery of two (MS Athena and MS Kalypso).[5]Unfortunately Wärtsilä Marine, the shipyard building one of SF Line's newbuilds and both of Slite's, went bankrupt in 1989. SF Line avoided financial repercussions, their Cinderella had been continuously paid for as her construction progressed. Hence it was SF Line who owned the almost completed ship when the shipyard went bankrupt.[13]
1993–2010
Following the bankruptcy of Rederi AB Slite, SF Line was left as the sole operator under the Viking Line brand. The remaining two Slite ships, Athena and Kalypso were auctioned in August 1993.[16][17] SF Line made a bid for the Kalypso, but both ships ended up sold to the newly established Malaysian cruise ship operator Star Cruises. In 1995 SF Line changed their name into Viking Line.
Between 1994 and 1996 the company operated a fast ferry service from Helsinki to Tallinn during the summers on chartered catamaran ships.[18] In 1997 they purchased MS Silja Scandinavia from Sea-Link Shipping AB and renamed her MS Gabriella for Helsinki–Stockholm service.[19] It has been reported that around the same time plans were made to construct a pair of new ships for the Helsinki–Stockholm service so that Viking could better compete with Silja on that route, but the plans were shelved.
2010–present
Nils-Erik Eklund retired as Viking Line's CEO in July 2010. He was replaced by Mikael Backman, who has previously worked with Royal Caribbean. In interviews Backman has stated he hopes to introduce features from Caribbean cruise ships to Viking Line vessels, as well as begin selling Viking's routes to North American customers as a new cruise experience.[27]
In a seminar held in January 2010, Backman stated that Viking Line were negotiating with nine different shipyards about the possibility of constructing a pair of ships to replace Amorella and Isabella on the Turku–Stockholm service.[28][29] The possibility of using liquefied natural gas engines and other emission-reducing technologies were reportedly researched,[30][31]
Corporation
The Viking Line Abp corporation includes the shipping companies Viking Rederi AB (previously known as Finlandshamnen), OÜ Viking Line Eesti, Viking Line Skandinavien AB, Viking Line Finnlandverkehr GmbH responsible for sales and marketing in Germany and Viking Line Buss Ab responsible for bus traffic. Each ship has its own command crew responsible for the activity and usage of the ship, including the ship's captain, chief of engineering and intendent. Viking Line has its own harbour terminals in Stockholm and Turku. In Helsinki, Mariehamn, Kapellskär and Tallinn the company rents the premises it needs for its activities.[36] During adverse weather and sea ice (October to March), Viking Line uses ice-class vessels.[37]
Jan Hanses has served as the CEO of Viking Line since 20 March 2014, replacing Mikael Backman who was dismissed from the corporation.[38] Ben Lundqvist serves as chairman of the board. The head office of Viking Line is located in Mariehamn.[39]
Trademark
Viking Line's ships are known for their vivid red colour. The colour dates from 1964 when the colouring of the new ship M/S Apollo was taken from the Mexican Fire lipstick used by the sister of the CEO of one of Viking Line's companies.[40]
The name "Viking Line" is sometimes shown shortened as "NG LI", which is a registered trademark of the corporation.[41] Viking Line has also used a logo consisting of a yellow square standing on its corner, with a black letter V inside it.[42]
On the older ships of Viking Line, the announcements start with Rod Stewart's song "Sailing".
Ville Viking
Ville Viking is the mascot of Viking Line, which is used as an icon for activities for children passengers, marketing and merchandising. The white ship's cat figure appears on ships and Viking Line's marketing events at least in Finland and Sweden.[43] The feline figure can be hugged and can appear in pictures with people.[44][45]
The name of the Viking Line children's club is Ville Viking Club. Children under 12 years of age can join the club free of charge, and members receive a mail letter twice per year. The club has its own cruises from Turku once per week and from Helsinki once per month except for the summer holiday season.[46]
Alcohol-free Ville Viking drinks can be bought on Viking Line's ships. Children's menus and buffet tables on the ships are also named for the character.
Fleet
Current fleet
Former ships
Ships that are still in use are marked in green.
Additionally a large number of ferries were chartered during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s for seasonal traffic.
Planned new ships
Ordered but never delivered
Terminals
Viking Line has six terminals, of which four are in Finland (two in mainland Finland and two in Åland), one in Sweden and one in Estonia.[50]
Finland
Sweden
Estonia
- Helsinki: Katajanokka Terminal. Served by Helsinki tram lines 4 and 5.
- Turku: Linnansatama. Served by the Port of Turku railway station and bus line 1.
- Mariehamn: Västhamnen. Served by the Mariehamn city bus.
- Lumparland: Långnäs.
- Stockholm: Stadsgården. Served by a terminal bus line and the city ship Emelie.
See also
- Finnish maritime cluster
- List of companies of Finland
- Viking
External links
References
- Viking Line Annual report 2023, retrieved 2024-03-26 retrieved 26 March 2013^
- Laivat, Viking Line. Accessed on 13 April 2022.^
- Viking Line vuosikertomus 2018, Viking Line.