The scheduled passenger ferry service between Finland and Estonia marked a major milestone, celebratign its 60th anniversary on 7 July 2025. Connecting Helsinki and Tallinn across the Gulf of Finland, the route has evolved into one of the busiest maritime passenger corridors in the world.
With future growth forecasted, Viking Line, operating on the route since 1989, is preparing to launch the world’s largest electric car ferry, demonstrating the continued importance and innovation of this link.
Although ferries connected the two countries during the inter-war years, it was only in 1965, following the Soviet occupation, that scheduled passenger service resumed. On July 7 of that year, Vanemuine sailed from Tallinn to Helsinki with 4,000 passengers during its first month of operation.
Today, the figures are staggering: approximately 7.5 million people cross annually, making the service not only vital for tourism but also crucial for Finland’s import-export logistics.
Viking Line’s entry onto the scene in 1989 added a new chapter to the ferry’s legacy. Its first vessel to Estonia, Viking Cinderella, offered duty-free shopping from a mooring position rather than a dockside berth.
By 1994, Viking Line had introduced high-speed service with the Viking Express catamaran, capable of carrying 450 passengers and cutting transit time across the Baltic. These developments opened up new markets and bolstered the route’s popularity, laying the foundation for its present-day success and future potential.
