Birka Line
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Mariehamn |
| Products | Cruises |
| Website | http://www.birkacruises.com/ |
Birka Line is an Ålandian shipping company that operates a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea with as the starting point under the name Birka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary, Birka Cargo. During the 1970s the company was often marketed as Ålandslinjen. Since May 2007 Birka Line has been a daughter company of Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö.
Birka Line was founded in 1971, they bought MS Prinsessen from DFDS and renamed her MS Prinsessan. On November 21, she made her first voyage between Stockholm and Mariehamn. In 1972, Prinsessan's sister ship MS Olav was bought and renamed MS Baronessan. In 1973 Birka started traffic on the routes Stockholm–Helsinki with MS Freeport and Stockholm–Helsinki–Leningrad with MS Drottningen. However, due to rising fuel costs and the high fuel consumption of the Freeport, both lines were terminated in late 1973. The Freeport was sold to Rederi AB Svea and the Drottningen returned to her owners SJ. The company continued operating with the Prinsessan and Baronessan until 1978. The first Prinsessan was renamed Prinsen to free the name for a newer ship, MS Finnhansa that was purchased from Finnlines in January 1978 and renamed MS Prinsessan. In 1980 the Baronessan was sold to Panamian interests.
On April 22, 1986, Birka's first newbuilding MS Birka Princess was delivered from the Valmet Vuosaari shipyard in Helsinki. With the delivery of the new ship, the company became marketed as Birka Cruises, as an attempt to show the its focus on cruises. The following year the Prinsessan was sold to Louis Cruise Lines, becoming their Princesa Marissa. In 1990 Birka Line purchased the majority of United Shipping.
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