Stena Line to acquire Wasaline ferry operations
Swedish shipping firm Stena Line is set to take over Finnish operator Wasaline’s ferry service between Umeå and Vaasa.
IMAGE: LNG-capable dual-fuel vessel, Aurora Bothnia. Wasaline
Wasaline is currently run by NLC Ferry, which is jointly owned by the municipalities of Umeå and Vaasa, through their company Kvarken Link. Under the proposed deal, Stena Line will acquire NLC Ferry and assume responsibility for Wasaline’s operations and staff.
Stena Line will operate the dual-fuel vessel, Aurora Botnia, which runs daily sailings between the port of Vaasa in Finland and the port of Umeå in Sweden.
Earlier this year, Wasaline announced plans to bunker the Aurora Botnia with liquefied biomethane (LBM) supplied by Gasum to generate overcompliance under FuelEU Maritime, with surplus credits intended to support FuelEU compliance shortfalls of Stena Line’s vessels.
“With Wasaline, we not only gain a vessel equipped with the latest environmental technology and capable of sailing CO2-neutral on a regular basis, we also enhance our access to alternative fuels,” Niclas Mårtensson, chief executive of Stena Line said.
“In addition, we gain a strong intermodal transport link toward Gothenburg and Trelleborg, and onwards to the European continent,” he added.
Municipal councils in Umeå and Vaasa are expected to vote on the deal this month. If approved, the acquisition is expected to be completed next year.
By Konica Bhatt
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