Gotland Company has purchased the cruise ship (about €38m) from Eckerö, with plans to offer intra-Baltic voyages as of spring 2024.

With the help of its subsidiary Destination Gotland, Gotland Company will set up the tax-free Stockholm-Mariehamn-Visby itinerary (traffic details dependent on the season).

"Birka Stockholm is a refined passenger ship, and we can see ample opportunities for her to complement Gotland's traffic. In 2022, we continued to streamline our fleet to focus on infrastructure and future shipping. With Birka Stockholm, we further strengthen our passenger ferrying position within the Baltic," Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotland Company, commented.

Marcus Risberg, Destination Gotland's CEO, added, "Visby has become an increasingly attractive cruise port, and we see a splendid chance to develop our operations and create new reasons for visiting Gotland. For the island's dwellers, it means more departures for those having more time and are without cars - or who want to pleasure cruise."

According to the seafarer labour union Seko, the Swedish-flagged Birka Stockholm can provide up to 150-250 job posts depending on the season.

The 2004-launched (as Birka Paradise) Birka Stockholm is 177 m long and 28 wide, offering room for 1,800 passengers. The 1 A Super ice-class vessel was providing cruises from Stockholm till the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. She plied in the colours of Birka Cruises, a daughter company of the Mariehamn-based Eckerö.

Source: Sjöfartstidningen

Photo: Arild Vågen / Wikimedia Commons