Record-breaking passenger volumes for Wasaline in 2023

The passenger volumes of Wasaline continue to grow. In 2023 the shipping company transported 279 590 passengers between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden. Passenger volume is up 4.4 percent from the previous year.

The amount of passenger vehicles transported increased by 14.3 percent from 55 661 to 63 647 vehicles – a historical record for the shipping company that started operations in 2013. The number of transported buses increased by 11.6 percent and the number of departures by 2.7 percent from 1 133 to 1 164 departures.

Amount of transported cargo units decreased by 5.9 percent, mostly due to the ending of traffic to and from Russia. The volume of imported paper has decreased due to lower demand. Export from Finland has remained approximately at the same level.

Turnover for Wasaline stayed the same compared to 2022.

“We can clearly see how both our passengers and freight customers appreciate the ongoing efforts to minimize the environmental footprint of our operations. In 2023 we were able to further reduce the CO2 emissions of Aurora Botnia, the world’s most environmentally friendly ferry, by 23 percent”, states Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline.

Wasaline expects the first two quarters of 2024 to be difficult for both passenger and freight services due to the current economic downturn. The shipping company is closely monitoring the ice conditions in the Kvarken strait and is prepared to reduce the frequency of departures during the first quarter if necessary.

“Finally, I would like to thank all our loyal freight customers and passengers. I would also like to thank our personnel who are doing an outstanding job in keeping this route, which is vital to Finland’s security of supply, running flawlessly every day”, Ståhlberg concludes.

For more information:

Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director, Wasaline
[email protected], +358 40 559 2353