Viking Cinderella launched the Helsinki–Stockholm route on 8 March 2024, revamped and reflagged under the Finnish flag.
At the same time, Viking Line will offer daily service again between the two Nordic capitals and expand its cargo capacity significantly.
“Every vessel that starts to sail under the Finnish flag enhances the competitiveness of Finland’s maritime transport industry, boosts employment in the country and strengthens national security of supply,” says Tiina Tuurnala, CEO of the Finnish Shipowners’ Association.
To the strains of the Finnish national anthem, Viking Cinderella was transferred to the Finnish Ship Registry in a formal ceremony in Stadsgård port in Stockholm on Tuesday 5 March 2024.
With the reflagging, all five Viking Line vessels now sail under the Finnish flag and are subject to Finnish collective bargaining agreements.
“Even before this, we were Finland’s biggest employer in maritime transport, and the reflagging of Cinderella further strengthens our position. We now directly employ about 2,200 people in Finland both on board our vessels and on land, and we also have an economic impact in different places around the country, in part through our sourcing of supplies and investments. Promoting domestic interests is important to us, and the fact that our entire fleet sails under the Finnish flag is concrete evidence of this,” says Jan Hanses, Viking Line’s CEO.
Last year, Viking Line transferred Viking XPRS from Estonia’s ship registry to Finland’s. Viking XPRS sails between Helsinki and Tallinn.
According to Finnish Customs statistics, more than 95 per cent of Finland’s international trade is transported by sea, and that share has increased given the extraordinary developments in recent years.
Passenger/car ferries and ropax ferries play an important role in maritime cargo transport since they transport most breakbulk cargo (goods shipped in pieces, not in containers) such as food, pharmaceuticals and spare parts for manufacturing.
