Wasaline

About Wasaline

Wasaline is the brand name of the Finnish company NLC Ferry Ab Oy, based in Vaasa, which operates the only ferry connection across the Kvarken between Umeå and Vaasa. The line has a chequered history: until 2011, the route was served by RG Line, which filed for insolvency in November of that year. In January 2012, the city of Vaasa and the municipality of Umeå jointly founded NLC Ferry, took over the Wasaline brand rights and resumed services in 2013 with the Wasa Express. The two cities each held half of the company through their joint venture Kvarken Link. In November 2025, Stena Line announced it would acquire NLC Ferry, with the deal completed in February 2026; the Wasaline brand continues, and the ship remains owned by Kvarken Link. Wasaline now presents itself as "a Stena Line company"; Stena Line describes it as the world's northernmost ferry company.

Fleet

Wasaline operates a single ship, the Aurora Botnia. She was built by Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland, with more than 80 per cent domestic value creation, and made her maiden voyage between Vaasa and Umeå on 28 August 2021, replacing the Wasa Express, which had served the route since 2013. The Aurora Botnia is 150 m long and 26 m wide, sails at 20 knots and offers room for 935 passengers across 68 cabins, plus 1,500 lane metres for trucks and cars. Her engines run on LNG, biogas or biodiesel, backed up by a 12.6 MWh battery pack — allowing the ship to sail CO₂-neutral on a regular basis. Deck 7 houses the restaurants, a bar with pub, the onboard shop, the Business Lounge, a children's area and the conference rooms, while deck 8 holds the cabins, the buffet restaurant, a bistro and the cafeteria.

Route to Finland

The only line is Umeå–Vaasa: from the terminal in Holmsund, around 20 km south-east of Umeå, the ferry crosses the Kvarken to the port of Vaasa near the city centre. The crossing takes around four hours depending on departure, and runs year-round with two to four departures a day in both directions combined. For travellers from northern Sweden, this is the shortest way into western Finland and towards the Lakeland; a shuttle bus runs into town from both ports.

Check-in, vehicles and pets

With a vehicle you must be checked in at least 60 minutes before departure, and 30 minutes as a foot passenger; boarding closes 20 minutes before departure. Only one vehicle can be registered per booking, so that automatic check-in works. Carry a valid form of ID, as identity checks can take place.

Cars, motorhomes, caravans, motorbikes and bicycles are all carried; longer vehicles are charged a higher fare, and you give the dimensions and registration when booking. More on this in the guide Travelling to Finland with a motorhome. Pets travel for a fee and with registration: in the Pet Lounge on deck 7 with a door onto the outer deck, in a pet-friendly cabin, or in the vehicle. What applies when entering Finland is covered in the guide Travelling to Finland with a dog.

Tickets

Wasaline sells the crossing as a one-way ticket, as a day cruise with return the same day, and as a hotel package; children under six travel free, and frequent travellers can use the Frequent Traveller programme. An environmental and fuel surcharge applies to all tickets. On board you pay by card only, in euros or Swedish kronor — the company only accepts cash at the port of Vaasa. Departures are shown in the timetable, fares for your date in the route page's booking window, with the comparison rules explained in the price overview.