Stena Line has acquired Finnish vessel operator NLC Ferry, which trades under the name Wasaline, and has taken over operations of the ferry route between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland.
The only existing ferry connection between Umeå and Vaasa is jointly owned by the two cities through the 50/50-owned company Kvarken Link, which in turn owns NLC Ferry.
Under the agreement signed on Tuesday, November 4, Stena Line will acquire NLC Ferry and take over the operation of Wasaline.
The Ro-Pax ferry Aurora Botnia (pictured), which sails on the Umeå-Vaasa route, will continue to be owned by Kvarken Link, the company jointly owned by the two cities.
In July 2025, Wasaline entered into a biogas agreement with Gasum and a Fuel EU Maritime pooling agreement with Stena Line, making the Umeå–Vaasa route the first international green shipping corridor, according to Stena Line.
“With Wasaline, we not only gain a vessel equipped with the latest environmental technology and capable of sailing CO₂-neutral on a regular basis, we also enhance our access to alternative fuels," said Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line. "In addition, we gain a strong intermodal transport link toward Gothenburg and Trelleborg, and onwards to the European continent."
The acquisition is subject to approval by the respective municipal councils of Umeå and Vaasa, expected to take place in November 2025. The transaction is also conditional to customary closing conditions such as authority approvals.
Stena Line expects the closing of the acquisition to take place in the beginning of 2026.
