NLC Ferry Ab Oy  |  Press release  |  12.01.2026

A good year for Wasaline

The year 2025 was a good year for Wasaline. On the passenger side, volumes increased by 2.6% to 259,769 passengers, despite the vessel being on dry dock during the last week of December. On the freight side, there was a slight decline in volumes, mainly due to the economic downturn, as major construction projects in the region were postponed, paper imports and exports decreased, and following the bankruptcy of Northvolt. Nevertheless, freight operations showed an increase in market share.

Turnover increased by 2.7% to EUR 28.8 million.

During 2025, Wasaline reduced its emissions by 85.3%, mainly due to the company switching to biogas operations in August.

“Despite the economic slowdown, we see our passenger numbers continuing to grow. We have new segments from Central Europe that are interested in winter cruises when there is ice in the Kvarken area. These are mainly tourist groups from Germany, but this year we are also seeing bookings from other European countries. Most of our passengers are still Finns and Swedes”,  says Peter Ståhlberg, CEO of Wasaline.

“We see great potential in intermodal transport looking ahead to 2026. Interest from freight customers has also increased as we operate on biogas, and our concept of minimizing the climate footprint is delivering results.”

Aurora Botnia at the Naantali drydock.

Aurora Botnia returned from the Turku Repair Yard in Naantali on Sunday, January 11. At the shipyard, maintenance was carried out on the bow thrusters and azipods, and inspections were performed by the DNV classification society. All five-year inspections were approved without remarks. Passenger areas were also upgraded, and the car deck was repainted.

The biggest change is that the new batteries have now been installed on board, and today Aurora Botnia has a battery capacity of 12.6 MWh—the largest battery capacity on a ROPAX vessel.

For more information, contact:

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

Header picture © Janne-Petteri Kumpulainen, not for republishing
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Wasaline, a Stena Line company logo

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.