 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Defunct | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Mariehamn |
| Products | Cruises |
| Website | http://www.birkacruises.com/ |
Birka Cruises (formerlyBirka Line) was anÅlandianshipping company that operated acruise ship on theBaltic Sea withStockholm as the starting point under the nameBirka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary,Birka Cargo. During the 1970s the company was often marketed asÅlandslinjen. Since May 2007 Birka Line has been a daughter company ofRederiaktiebolaget Eckerö.[1]
In July 2020 Eckerö Line announced that it was shutting down its Birka Cruises subsidiary after 49 years of operation.[2]
Birka Line was founded in 1971, they bought MSPrinsessen fromDFDS and renamed herMSPrinsessan. On November 21, she made her first voyage between Stockholm andMariehamn. In 1972,Prinsessan's sister ship MSOlav was bought and renamedMSBaronessan. In 1973 Birka started traffic on the routes Stockholm–Helsinki withMSFreeport and Stockholm–Helsinki–Leningrad withMSDrottningen. However, due to rising fuel costs and the high fuel consumption of theFreeport, both lines were terminated in late 1973. TheFreeport was sold toRederi AB Svea and theDrottningen returned to her ownersSJ. The company continued operating with thePrinsessan andBaronessan until 1978. The firstPrinsessan was renamedPrinsen to free the name for a newer ship, MSFinnhansa that was purchased fromFinnlines in January 1978 and renamedMSPrinsessan. In 1980 theBaronessan was sold toPanamian interests.
On 22 April 1986 Birka's first newbuildingMSBirka Princess was delivered from theValmetVuosaari shipyard in Helsinki. With the delivery of the new ship, the company became marketed asBirka Cruises, as an attempt to show its focus on cruises. The following year thePrinsessan was sold toLouis Cruise Lines, becoming theirPrincesa Marissa. In 1990 Birka Line purchased the majority ofUnited Shipping.
In the late 1980s the company placed an order for a second cruise ship, to operate alongside theBirka Princess, fromWärtsiläTurku shipyard. The ship was to be namedMSBirka Queen, but during construction the shipyard went bankrupt, radically raising the cost of the ship. Birka did not accept delivery of the ship with such a high price, and the ship was instead completed forMajesty Cruise Line asRoyal Majesty. In place of theBirka Queen Birka Line purchased MSSunward fromNorwegian Cruise Line in May 1992, and renamed herMSBirka Queen for cruising from Stockholm toRiga andSt. Petersburg. In October the same year, the ship was chartered back to NCL. Although she remained under Birka Line ownership until 1997, the secondBirka Queen never sailed for Birka Line again.
In 1999 theBirka Princess was rebuilt with additional cabins and more streamlined superstructure. In January 2002 Birka Line purchased the entirety ofUnited Shipping which was renamed Birka Cargo. In November of the same year the company placed an order for a new cruise ship withAker Finnyards,Rauma. The ship was completed asMSBirka Paradise in 2004. The ship was delivered in a time when there was a very strong competition for cruise and ferry passengers on the northern Baltic Sea. Due to lack of passengers and because of financial problems, theBirka Princess was sold to Louis Cruise Lines in early 2006. On 8 March 2007 it was reported that the fellow Ålandian shipping companyRederiaktiebolaget Eckerö was looking to purchase Birka Line in its entirety (Eckerö already owned 42% of Birka Line).[3] On 24 May 2007 it was reported that a public offer made by Eckerö had increased their ownership in Birka Line to 57.9%.[4] On 28 May Birka Line officially became a daughter company of Eckerö Line.[1]
| Ship | Type | Built | In service | Route | Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSBirka Stockholm | Cruise ship | 2004 | 2004–2020 | Stockholm–Mariehamn | 34,924 GT |  Sweden |Laid up since 2020| |
