NLC Ferry Ab Oy | Press release | 11.08.2025
Wasaline will become the first carbon-neutral shipping company in the Baltic Sea
Wasaline has signed a biogas contract with Gasum and a Fuel EU Maritime pooling agreement with Stena Line which enables Wasaline to use only biofuels in the future. This also makes the Vaasa – Umeå route the first international green shipping corridor in operation, following support from the DNV-led Nordic Roadmap. Wasaline’s climate goal of being carbon neutral was primary set to 2030 but has been achieved already now.
The co-operation between Wasaline, Stena Line and Gasum is enabling the usage of high-quality certified biogas in the daily operation of Aurora Botnia. Aurora Botnia is already equipped with batteries and an extension of the battery capacity of 10.4 MWh was announced earlier this year. After the conversion with additional battery capacity together with AYK energy, Foreship and Wärtsilä in January 2026 Aurora Botnia will have the biggest battery capacity on a ROPAX, with a total of 12.6 MWh.
“We have attended many seminars where shipping companies are talking about the growing costs with EU Emission Trading system (ETS) and focusing on how to get exceptions from the rules. We have instead focused on the opportunities. We have constantly worked with the possibilities to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and environmental footprint, and we have seen the coming rules as an opportunity for our traffic between Finland and Sweden. With this unique collaboration with Stena Line and Gasum, Wasaline can achieve carbon neutrality already now as a forerunner for the industry. This also means that all cargo and passengers travelling with Wasaline are sustainable with no additional extra charges for being carbon neutral”, says Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline.
“At DNV we have been actively collaborating with partners, through the Nordic Roadmap, to launch Green Shipping Corridors and we are very pleased to see the Vaasa – Umeå route, operated by Wasaline, recognized as the first international green shipping corridor in operation. This milestone directly supports the ambitions of both the Clydebank Declaration and the Ministerial Declaration on zero-emission shipping routes between the Nordic countries”, says Vegar Rype, Segment Director RoRo and Ferries at DNV.
“By integrating Aurora Botnia into Stena Line’s FuelEU Maritime pool, we gain access to biogas previously unavailable for Stena Line which enables further emission reductions for the entire pool, lowers fuel costs and strengthens our strategic position as biofuels become increasingly scarce under more stringent regulations”, says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.
“We are very delighted that Wasaline has chosen Gasum to deliver them biogas for the daily operations of Aurora Botnia, and we are proud to facilitate this collaboration with Stena Line. Renewable biogas is one of the already available concrete solutions for reducing emissions in maritime transport. Our goal is to continuously increase biogas availability to our customers in the years ahead”, says Jacob Granqvist, Vice President, Maritime at Gasum.
For more information, please contact:
Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director, Wasaline
[email protected], +358 40 559 2353
Wasaline is the northernmost shipping line in the world, which transports passengers and freight daily between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden. The route is important for security of supply. The company’s hybrid ferry, Aurora Botnia, is equipped with dual-fuel engines and batteries. The Key Flag has been awarded both to Aurora Botnia and Wasaline’s services as a recognition of Finnish work.
Stena Line is one of Europe’s leading ferry companies with approximately 40 vessels and 20 routes in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, operating 25,700 sailings each year. Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network and develops new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road and sea. Stena Line also plays an important role in tourism in Europe with its extensive passenger operations. The company is family-owned, was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg. Stena Line has 6,200 employees and an annual turnover of 19.5 billion SEK.
Gasum is a Nordic gas sector and energy market expert. Gasum offers cleaner energy and energy market expert services for industry and for combined heat and power production as well as cleaner fuel solutions for road and maritime transport. The company helps its customers to reduce their own carbon footprint as well as that of their customers. Together with its partners, Gasum promotes development towards a carbon-neutral future on land and at sea.
DNV is the world’s leading classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry. We enhance safety, quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of the global shipping industry – across all vessel types and offshore structures. We invest heavily in research and development to find solutions, together with the industry, that address strategic, operational or regulatory challenges.
About Wasaline
Wasaline operates the daily ferry service between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden. The crossing is the northernmost year-round international ferry route in the world, serving both passengers and freight.
The modern hybrid ferry Aurora Botnia is powered by biogas and batteries. The Key Flag has been awarded to the ferry as a symbol of Finnish work. Wasaline is part of Stena Line.
