Viking Cinderella will launch service on the Helsinki–Stockholm route on March 8, revamped and reflagged under the Finnish flag, according to the company's release. At the same time, Viking Line will offer daily service again between the two Nordic capitals and expand its cargo capacity significantly.
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, March 5. With the reflagging, all five Viking Line vessels now sail under the Finnish flag and are subject to Finnish collective bargaining agreements.
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.
Viking Cinderella will launch service on the Helsinki–Stockholm route on March 8, and as a result Viking Line will once again provide daily transport between the two Nordic capitals. With the reflagging and new route, most of Viking Cinderella's crew of 300 Swedes is being replaced by Finns. Some of the vessel's previous employees are being shifted to the vessel Birka Gotland, in which Viking Line has a 50 per cent holding.
In January, Viking Cinderella spent 18 days at the shipyard in Naantali, where the cabins and other spaces underwent an extensive makeover and the technology on board was updated so that the vessel produces even fewer emissions than previously. At most, Viking Cinderella will be in Stadsgård port for three days, when the vessel's crew - which is comprised of more than 45 different occupational categories - will undergo safety training, conduct safety exercises and start up service on the new route. Meanwhile, the vessel will undergo regulatory controls in conjunction with the reflagging.