”The Viking line is now making a modest start and connecting Finland with Europe,” it was announced to invited guests on S/S Viking’s maiden voyage on May 31, 1959. More than 60 years later, 250 million people have travelled with Viking Line, and the company has grown to become Finland’s largest employer in maritime transport.

The milestone of a quarter billion passengers was reached in August, at the end of the summer peak season.

“Viking Line was founded with the modest aim of improving transport connections to the Finnish mainland for Åland and its residents, so 250 million passengers is an amazing milestone for us.  Today we are a connecting link for people around the Baltic Sea, we maintain vital cargo links between the Nordic region and continental Europe, and we offer unique Nordic travel experiences for tourists who come here. This is a good opportunity to thank our customers – and naturally our staff and all our key stakeholders,” says Viking Line’s CEO, Jan Hanses.

Viking Line’s five vessels serve about five million passengers annually. Scheduled car ferry service is enormously important for all of Finland’s tourism, since according to Visit Finland’s statistics a total of about five million trips to the country are made from abroad each year.

“Tourist interest in the Nordic countries has increased sharply since the pandemic. It also seems that a growing number of tourists – especially those travelling great distances – want to experience several Nordic countries on the same journey. Good transport links between our countries will therefore be enormously important in the future,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO of the marketing company Visit Sweden.

“Viking Line is one of the pillars of Finnish tourism. A quarter of a billion travellers is an impressive figure, and is testimony to long-term work and successful customer experiences. Cruises on the Baltic Sea are also one of the most interesting tourist products that Finland offers foreign visitors. Our vision is to be a leading destination for sustainable tourism, and Viking Line’s efforts to promote sustainability in maritime transport reinforce this picture,” says Kristiina Hietasaari, CEO of the marketing company Visit Finland.

In the market research firm EPSI Rating’s survey of maritime transport companies for 2024*, Finnish travellers named Viking Line as the most responsible shipping company in service between Finland and Sweden for the third straight year. The company also has the best customer satisfaction in this key market.

“For those of us who work at Viking Line, 250 million passengers means 250 million important encounters – every customer is an honoured guest for us. We have served as a lifeline to the old country for Finnish emigrants who moved to Sweden, helped to democratise holiday travel and offered experiences to one generation after the next. Today we meet customer expectations in part by moving step by step towards the carbon-free maritime transport of the future,” says Jan Hanses.

250 million passengers over seven decades

1960s
Viking Line significantly improves links between Åland, mainland Finland and Sweden. By the end of the decade, the company has already transported more than 3.5 million passengers.

1970s
The company’s vessels transport passengers who emigrated from Finland to Sweden and provide them with holiday travel back to their homeland. Holiday travel starts developing, and the cruise concept is born. Regular surveys of the customer experience are launched.

1980s
The popularity of cruise tourism grows, while passenger expectations rise. The cruise vessel for this new era, Mariella, is launched. Entertainment takes on a growing importance. The company’s vessels are pioneers in food and wine culture. Waste recycling begins. In the first three decades of the company’s operations, a total of about 55 million people have travelled with Viking Line.

1990s
The golden age of pleasure cruises: popular TV shows such as Passi ja hammasharja (‘Passport and Toothbrush’) are filmed on Cinderella. Day cruises to Tallinn grow in popularity.

2000s
Experiences in cruise service take on a growing importance: shopping and food play an expanding role. By the end of the decade, a total of 168 million passengers have travelled on Viking Line’s vessels.

2010s
The first climate-smart vessel on the Baltic Sea, Viking Grace, is launched in service on the Turku–Stockholm route. The vessel is constructed so that it can use both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the renewable and synthetic fuels of the future.

2020s
Viking Line’s market share on the Turku route increases to 70 per cent when the climate-smart Viking Glory is launched in service in 2022. The concept for the new vessel is designed around wellness and individual choices. Renewable liquefied biogas (LBG) starts to be used alongside liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the Turku route.