The new Baltic mini-cruise joint-venture between Viking Line and Gotlandsbolaget has been approved.
Konkurrensverket, the Swedish Competition Authority, announced on 23 August that they have decided to allow the cooperation without action. This means that the deal will proceed as planned.
Earlier in August, Viking Line and Gotlandsbolaget announced a joint venture for the short-cruise vessel BIRKA STOCKHOLM.
Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotlandsbolaget said;
“We are of course very happy that we received such a quick notice from the Swedish Competition Authority. This means that the new business can set full speed to launch the new cruise product with traffic starting in spring 2024”.
Gotlandsbolaget Press Release 23 August 2023
This is the second recent interaction between Viking Line and other ferry companies. Viking Line is now the largest individual shareholder in the parent company of Eckerö Line.
Plan A – going it alone
BIRKA STOCKHOLM was acquired by Gotlandsbolaget in spring 2023 for €38 million from previous owners Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö.
Previously, the vessel operated for Birka Cruises on 1-night cruises from Stockholm to Mariehamn and occasional longer Baltic trips. However, the operation shut down early into the Covid Pandemic in 2020. Since then the ship remained laid up at awaiting a buyer.
Significantly, Gotlandsbolaget said that they planned to use the ship to offer cruises, and as a complement to existing Gotland traffic. From spring 2024, the ship was due to offer tax-free shopping and operate to Stockholm, Mariehamn and Visby with varying traffic patterns depending on the season.
Plan B – Scandinavian Marriage
Viking Line and Gotlandsbolaget’s joint venture will operate BIRKA STOCKHOLM on cruises between Stockholm to Mariehamn and Stockholm to Mariehamn to Visby from spring 2024. Additionally, other destination cruises in the Baltic Sea region are likely to be offered.
Gotlandsbolaget are selling a 50% share of the BIRKA STOCKHOLM to Viking Line at a price of €19 million.
Headquartered in Stockholm, the venture will be under the management of CEO Susanne Kaarnimo-Knight. Initially the partnership will be for five years with an option to extend.
Jan Hanses, CEO of Viking Line said;
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with a successful shipping company like Gotlandsbolaget, which we have great respect for. We believe our joint contribution to this service will further enhance the cruise product offered from Stockholm”
Viking Line Press Release 9 August 2023
Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotlandsbolaget said;
“We are working to also expand Gotlandsbolaget’s cruise travel offering as a complement to our service to Gotland and our other offerings, and what partner can be better at doing this than Viking Line, with its extensive experience from cruises in the Baltic Sea. We see this collaboration as a fantastic opportunity that utilizes the experience and skills of both Gotlandsbolaget and Viking Line.
The new cruise line will also open up new ways to travel to and from and experience Gotland. Passengers will be able to combine a cruise with a stay on Gotland and also combine with a trip with Destination Gotland for a faster trip between Gotland and the mainland.”
Gotlandsbolaget Press Release 9 August 2023
Cinderella moves
Viking Line’s new joint-venture with BIRKA STOCKHOLM will replace the VIKING CINDERELLA’s current Stockholm – Mariehamn 1-night cruises.
The 1989-vessel will move to the Helsinki – Mariehamn – Stockholm route in spring 2024.
Viking Line’s Helsinki – Stockholm service has only had one permanent vessel, GABRIELLA, since the sale of AMORELLA in autumn 2022. That vessel had only been moved to the service, following replacement by the VIKING GLORY on the Stockholm – Turku route in early 2023. The previous long-serving Helsinki ship, MARIELLA had also gone to Corsica Ferries in 2021.
VIKING CINDERELLA is no stranger to the Helsinki – Stockholm route having spent her first five years of service there, having entered service as the World’s largest ferry. The ship returned to the route in summer 2023 to provide daily departures from both ports, alongside GABRIELLA. As is normal on Viking Line’s Stockholm – Helsinki route, both ships also sailed from Helsinki to Tallinn between Swedish sailings.
