Viking Line
Image:Ng li.gif
Type	Private
Founded	1963
Headquarters	Mariehamn, Åland, Finland
Key people	Nils-Erik Eklund (CEO)
Industry	Transport
Products	Ferries, port services, passenger transportation, freight transportation, holidays, business travel
Revenue	405.95 million Euro (2005/2006)
Employees	2,900 (2005/2006)
Website	www.vikingline.fi/

Viking Line ships (M/S Gabriella & M/S Rosella) in Helsinki, November 2006.

Viking Line 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. A private company is a company that is independently owned. ... Founded 1861 Province Ã…land Region Ã…land Sub-region Mariehamn Area - Of which land - Rank 11. ... Motto none Anthem Ã…länningens sÃ¥ng Capital (and largest city) Mariehamn Official languages Swedish Government Autonomous province  -  Governor Peter Lindbäck1  -  Premier Roger Nordlund Autonomy  -  Declared 1920   -  Recognized 19212  Accession to the  January 1, 19953 Area  -  Total 13,517 km² (unranked) 5,267 sq mi   -  Water (%) 89 Population  -  2005... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... For the tax agency in the United Kingdom of the same name, see HM Revenue and Customs. ... Green up arrow for a positive change in revenue from last fiscal year. ... “EUR” redirects here. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 362 pixelsFull resolution (1964 × 888 pixel, file size: 886 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) M/S Gabriella and M/S Rosella in Helsinki, 30. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 362 pixelsFull resolution (1964 × 888 pixel, file size: 886 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) M/S Gabriella and M/S Rosella in Helsinki, 30. ... The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, ca. ... Pride of Bilbao, a cruise ferry operated by P&O Ferries. ... Motto none Anthem Ã…länningens sÃ¥ng Capital (and largest city) Mariehamn Official languages Swedish Government Autonomous province  -  Governor Peter Lindbäck1  -  Premier Roger Nordlund Autonomy  -  Declared 1920   -  Recognized 19212  Accession to the  January 1, 19953 Area  -  Total 13,517 km² (unranked) 5,267 sq mi   -  Water (%) 89 Population  -  2005... For the numeral system, Hex, see Hexadecimal For Wikipedias help pages, see Help:Contents. ...

In Finnish the cruiseferries on the route between Finland and Sweden are called ruotsinlaiva (Sweden's ship) and in Swedish finlandsbåtar (Finland ships). Ruotsin-laiva or ruotsinlaiva (Finnish for ship to Sweden) or Finlandsfärja (Swedish for ship to Finland) is a common name for the large passenger ferries (RORO-type) providing daily transport from the Finnish cities of Helsinki and Turku to the Swedish city of Stockholm and back. ... M/S Silja Symphony passing through the Kustaanmiekka strait outside Helsinki, Finland on its route to Stockholm, Sweden via Mariehamn. ...

Viking Line is operated from the Åland Islands. National motto: ? Official language Swedish Capital Mariehamn Governor Peter Lindbäck Premier Roger Nordlund Total Area  - Land  - Water 6,784 km² 1,527 km² 5,258 km² Population  - Total (2002)  - Density 26,257 17. ...

Company History

Early Years: 1959-1966

Viking Line's history can be traced back to 1959, when a group of sea- and businessmen from the Åland Islands province in Finland formed Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen, purchased a steam-powered car-ferry S/S Dinard from the UK, renamed her S/S Viking and began service on the route Korpo (Finland) - Mariehamn (Åland) - Gräddö (Sweden). In the same year the Gotland-based Rederi AB Slite began a service between Simpnäs (Sweden) and Mariehamn. Province Western Finland Region Finland Proper District Ã…boland City manager Patrik Nygrén Official languages Swedish, Finnish Area  - total  - land ranked 352nd 170. ... Founded 1861 Province Ã…land Region Ã…land Sub-region Mariehamn Area - Of which land - Rank 11. ...   is a county and province of Sweden and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. ... Rederi AB Slite was a Swedish shipping company, founded in 1947. ...

In 1962, a disagreement caused a group of people to leave Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen and form a new company, Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan, who began a service linking Gräddö and Mariehamn the following year. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... M/S Rosella, the longest serving ship of Viking Line, arriving in Helsinki in summer 2003 SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as Viking Line. ...

Soon the three companies, all competing for passengers between Åland Islands and Sweden, realised that they in the long run all stood to lose from mutual competition. In 1965 Vikinglinjen and Slite began collaborating, and in the end of July 1966 Viking Line was established as a marketing company for all three companies. At this time Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen changed their name to Rederi Ab Solstad, presumably to avoid confusion with the marketing company. The red hull livery was adopted from Slite's Ålandspilen service (to which it had been taken from the colour of the chairman's wife's lipstick!). In 1970 Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan changed its name to SF Line and in 1977 Rederi Ab Solstad was merged into its mother company Rederi Ab Sally. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... M/S Rosella, the longest serving ship of Viking Line departing Helsinki in spring 2006 SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as Viking Line. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Rederi Ab Sally was a Finnish shipping company founded in the 1940s by Algot Johansson. ...

1967-1985

Because Viking Line was only a marketing company, each owner company retained their individual fleets and could choose on which routes to set their ships (naturally there was also co-ordination on schedules and such). Each company's ships were easy to distinguish by name: all Sally ships had a "Viking" prefix on their names, Slite took their names from Roman and Greek mythologies, while SF Line's names ended with -ella in honor of managing director Gunnar Eklund's wife Ellen Eklund.

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 M/S Apollo and M/S Diana for Slite and M/S Viking 1, M/S Viking 3 and M/S Viking 4 for Sally. M/S Viking 5, delivered in 1974, was an enlargened version of the same design. 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: Azteca, Coromuel and Puerto Vallarta). In 1973 Viking Line started service on the Turku - Mariehamn - Stockholm route, directly competing with Silja Line for the first time. The next year Sally began traffic between Helsinki and Stockholm. For the next decade this route stayed in their hands, whereas on other routes the three companies operated together. Silja Line ships in Helsinki in 2004 Silja Line (Silja Oyj Apb) is a Finnish shipping company owned as of 2006 by the Estonian ferry operator Tallink. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... The Norwegian Jewel, constructed by Meyer Werft The Meyer Werft is one of the remaining large German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg. ... M/S Jamaa II is a car-passenger ferry owned by Bayway Shipping Co and sailing on the Red Sea. ... Papenburg is a city in the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated at the river Ems. ... Turku (IPA:  , Swedish:  ), founded in the 13th century, is the oldest and fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 174,868 (as of 2005). ... Nickname: Location of Stockholm in northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Sweden Municipality Stockholm Municipality County Stockholm Province Södermanland and Uppland Charter 13th century Government  - Mayor Kristina Axén Olin (m) Population (March 2007)  - City 786,509  - Density 4,160/km² (10,774. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ...

By the latter half of the 70's Sally was clearly the dominant partner in the consortium. In 1980 they took delivery of three new ferries (M/S Viking Saga, M/S Viking Sally and M/S Viking Song), largest to have sailed under Viking's colours. This further established their dominance over the other partners, although SF Line did take delivery of the new M/S Turella and M/S Rosella in 1979-1980 and Slite M/S Diana II in 1979. In the early 1980s Sally started expanding their operations to other waters, which became the company's failing as those operations were largely unprofitable and ultimately made Sally unable to invest on new tonnage for Viking Line service. Silja Opera at South Harbour in Helsinki in 2005. ... M/S Estonia Model of the M/S Estonia in Tallinns Maritime Museum The M/S Estonia was a car and passenger ferry built in 1979 at the German shipyard Meyer Werft in Papenburg. ... M/S Regina Baltica in Stockholm, August 2006 M/S Regina Baltica is a cruiseferry operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. ... M/S Fantaasia is a car and passenger cruiseferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. ... M/S Rosella is a car and passenger cruiseferry. ... M/S Meloodia in Helsinki M/S Meloodia is a passenger ferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink, currently under charter to Balearia, Spain for service between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. ...

1985-1993

M/S Mariella leaving Helsinki

In 1985 a new leaf was turned in Viking Line's history when SF Line's brand-new M/S Mariella, at the time the largest ferry in the world, replaced M/S Viking Song on Helsinki - Stockholm service, breaking Sally's monopoly on the route. The next year Slite took delivery of Mariella's sister M/S Olympia and thus forced Sally out of Helsinki - Stockholm route completely. 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 269 KB) M/S Mariella on Kustaanmiekka strait. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 269 KB) M/S Mariella on Kustaanmiekka strait. ... Mariella in Helsinki 2004. ... M/S Regina Baltica in Stockholm, August 2006 M/S Regina Baltica is a cruiseferry operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. ... M/V Pride of Bilbao (formerly M/V Olympia) is a cruiseferry built in 1985. ... S/S Titania, an FÅA ship that sailed on Helsinki/Hanko– Copenhagen– Hull in the early 20th century. ... Silja Line ships in Helsinki in 2004 Silja Line (Silja Oyj Apb) is a Finnish shipping company owned as of 2006 by the Estonian ferry operator Tallink. ...

Between 1988 and 1990 SF Line took delivery of three new ships (M/S Amorella, M/S Isabella and M/S Cinderella) while Slite took delivery of two (M/S Athena and M/S Kalypso). 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. Slite however had signed a more traditional type of contract, the Kalypso was to be paid for on delivery. Since the shipyard owned the unfinished ship, this led to an increased cost for the Kalypso - about 200 million SEK more than had been originally envisaged. In the end, despite the financial problems, by 1990 Viking Line had the largest and newest cruiseferry fleet in the world. M/S Amorella west of Yxlan in the Stockholm archipelago M/S Amorella is a car and passenger ferry. ... Specifications Passengers: 2 450 Year Built: 1989 Car capacity: 364 Length: 170. ... M/S Cinderella Specifications Passengers: 2 500 Year Built: 1989 Car capacity: 480 Length: 191. ... M/S Pearl of Scandinavia M/S Pearl of Scandinavia, originally M/S Athena, is a cruiseferry built in 1989 by Wärtsilä, Turku, for Rederi AB Slite for use Viking Line traffic. ... The Star Pisces in Hong Kong habour M/S Star Pisces is a cruise ship, owned by Star Cruises and currently does short cruises from Hong Kong. ... Wärtsilä is a Finnish manufacturer of large (diesel) engines and power plants. ...

In 1989 Slite started planning M/S Europa, which was to be the jewel in the company's crown, the largest and most luxurious cruiseferry in the world. Unfortunately for them Sweden entered a financial crises during the construction of the ship, which led to devaluation of the Swedish krona. This in turn meant that the cost for the Europa increased from 1500 million SEK to over 2000 million SEK. When time came to take delivery of the new ship, Slite did not have the funds to pay for it and their main funders (Swedish Nordbanken, who were also the main funders of Silja Line) refused to loan them the money needed. Eventually the ship ended up in Silja Line's fleet and Slite was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1993. Silja Europa arriving to Mariehamn in 2005. ... ISO 4217 Code SEK User(s) Sweden Inflation 2. ...

1993-present

The collapse of the other partners left SF Line as the sole company in Viking Line. Unlike Slite and Silja Line they had emerged relatively unscratched from the financial troubles of the early 90's, but the events also left the company pursuing careful tactics and avoiding risks. It's telling that instead of looking to purchase new or even used ships to replace the ones lost in Slite's bankruptcy the company simply continued business with their existing fleet. In the Turku - Stockholm service this resulted in notable drop in quality when the ageing M/S Rosella was brought in to take over from the glamourous and highly popular M/S Kalypso that had been sold to Star Cruises. In 1995 SF Line changed their name into Viking Line. Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world and the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific. ...

Between 1994 and 1996 the company operated a fast ferry service from Helsinki to Tallinn during the summers on chartered catamaran ships. In 1997 they purchased M/S Silja Scandinavia and renamed her M/S Gabriella for Helsinki - Stockholm service. 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. County Area 159. ... It has been suggested that Catamaran History be merged into this article or section. ... M/S Gabriella in Kustaamiekka strait, Helsinki M/S Gabriella is a cruiseferry sailing on a route connecting Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden for Viking Line. ...

It took until 2005 for Viking to order a new ship, in response to growing competition from Tallink on the Helsinki - Tallinn route. The new ship's project name is Viking XPRS and is to be delivered from Aker Finnyards, Helsinki in January 2008. In January 2007 Viking Line announced that they had placed an order for another new ship, a 15.000 GT ferry at the Spanish shipyard Astilleros de Sevilla. The project name for the ship, that will replace the ageing M/S Ålandsfärjan on the Mariehamn - Kapellskär route, is Viking ADCC and delivery is excpected for March 2009. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Viking XPRS the project name of a fast ropax ferry currently under construction at Aker Finnyards, Finland for the finnish ferry company Viking Line. ... Aker Finnyards is a Finnish shipbuilding company. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Passengers: 963 Year Built: 1971 Car capacity: 180 Length: 105. ... Viking ADCC (All seasons Day Cruising and Commuting) is the project name of a day cruise ferry ordered by the Finnish ferry company Viking Line. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Future

In addition to building the XPRS and ADCC, Viking Line's CEO Nils-Erik Eklund stated in an interview of the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat that the company were looking to replace the ships operating between Turku and Stockholm. The volume of freight transported on the route has been steadily growing during the past years and if the growth continues the current ships will be too small to meet demand in the future. [1] Turun Sanomat is the leading regional newspaper of the region of Finland Proper. ...

Fleet

Current Fleet

Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... M/S Amorella west of Yxlan in the Stockholm archipelago M/S Amorella is a car and passenger ferry. ... Turku (IPA:  , Swedish:  ), founded in the 13th century, is the oldest and fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 174,868 (as of 2005). ... Founded 1861 Province Ã…land Region Ã…land Sub-region Mariehamn Area - Of which land - Rank 11. ... LÃ¥ngnäs is a port in Lumparland on the eastern mainland of Ã…land. ... Nickname: Location of Stockholm in northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Sweden Municipality Stockholm Municipality County Stockholm Province Södermanland and Uppland Charter 13th century Government  - Mayor Kristina Axén Olin (m) Population (March 2007)  - City 786,509  - Density 4,160/km² (10,774. ... M/S Gabriella in Kustaamiekka strait, Helsinki M/S Gabriella is a cruiseferry sailing on a route connecting Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden for Viking Line. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ... Euroway was a Swedish shipping company, active between 1992 and 1994. ... Specifications Passengers: 2 450 Year Built: 1989 Car capacity: 364 Length: 170. ... Mariella in Helsinki 2004. ... M/S Rosella is a car and passenger cruiseferry. ... County Area 159. ... M/S Viking Cinderella is a car and passenger cruiseferry built in 1989 by Wärtsilä Turku shipyard, Finland, for SF Line, one of the owners of the Viking Line consortium. ... Coordinates: Founded 1201 Government  - Mayor Jānis Birks Area  - City 307. ... Passengers: 963 Year Built: 1971 Car capacity: 180 Length: 105. ... Kapellskär is a port near Stockholm, in Sweden. ...

Ships under construction

Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... Viking XPRS the project name of a fast ropax ferry currently under construction at Aker Finnyards, Finland for the finnish ferry company Viking Line. ... Aker Finnyards is a Finnish shipbuilding company. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ... County Area 159. ... Viking ADCC (All seasons Day Cruising and Commuting) is the project name of a day cruise ferry ordered by the Finnish ferry company Viking Line. ... This article is about the city in Spain. ... Kapellskär is a port near Stockholm, in Sweden. ... Founded 1861 Province Ã…land Region Ã…land Sub-region Mariehamn Area - Of which land - Rank 11. ...

Former ships

Additionally a large number of ferries were chartered during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s for seasonal traffic. Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... Rederi AB Slite was a Swedish shipping company, founded in 1947. ... M/S Rosella, the longest serving ship of Viking Line, arriving in Helsinki in summer 2003 SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as Viking Line. ... Rederi Ab Sally was a Finnish shipping company founded in the 1940s by Algot Johansson. ... M/S Rosella, the longest serving ship of Viking Line departing Helsinki in spring 2006 SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as Viking Line. ... Eckerö Line M/S Nordlandia in Tallinn Eckerö Line and Eckerö Linjen are two Finnish shipping companies owned by the Åland-based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö, founded in 1961. ... M/S Jamaa II is a car-passenger ferry owned by Bayway Shipping Co and sailing on the Red Sea. ... M/S Fantaasia is a car and passenger cruiseferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. ... M/S Meloodia in Helsinki M/S Meloodia is a passenger ferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink, currently under charter to Balearia, Spain for service between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. ... Silja Opera at South Harbour in Helsinki in 2005. ... Louis Cruise Lines logo. ... M/S Estonia Model of the M/S Estonia in Tallinns Maritime Museum The M/S Estonia was a car and passenger ferry built in 1979 at the German shipyard Meyer Werft in Papenburg. ... M/S Regina Baltica in Stockholm, August 2006 M/S Regina Baltica is a cruiseferry operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. ... Tallinks logo Tallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany, as well as high-speed crafts between Helsinki and Tallinn. ... M/S Olympia (later M/S Pride of Bilbao) is a car and passenger ferry built in 1986. ... P&O Ferry Pride of Rotterdam one of the Hull-Rotterdam sister flagships of P&O Ferries P&O Ferries (formerly P&O European Ferries) is a constituent company of DP World (which took over its parent company, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) in March 2006). ... M/S Pearl of Scandinavia M/S Pearl of Scandinavia, originally M/S Athena, is a cruiseferry built in 1989 by Wärtsilä, Turku, for Rederi AB Slite for use Viking Line traffic. ... DFDS Headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... The Star Pisces in Hong Kong habour M/S Star Pisces is a cruise ship, owned by Star Cruises and currently does short cruises from Hong Kong. ... Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world and the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific. ... Silja Europa approaching Mariehamn in 2005. ... Silja Line ships in Helsinki in 2004 Silja Line (Silja Oyj Apb) is a Finnish shipping company owned as of 2006 by the Estonian ferry operator Tallink. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Viking Line ships

• Tallink - rival operator
• Silja Line - rival operator (owned by Tallink)
• Viking

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Tallinks logo Tallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany, as well as high-speed crafts between Helsinki and Tallinn. ... Silja Line ships in Helsinki in 2004 Silja Line (Silja Oyj Apb) is a Finnish shipping company owned as of 2006 by the Estonian ferry operator Tallink. ... The term king commonly denotes the ship-borne warriors, pirates and traders of Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of britain and ireland as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late 8–18th century. ...

External links

• Viking Line - In Finland
• Viking Line - In Sweden