Wasa Line
 |
|
| Industry | Passenger transportation |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired by Silja Line |
| Founded | 1948, 2013 |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Vaasa, Finland |
|
Area served
|
Gulf of Bothnia |
Wasaline, previously Oy Vaasa-Umeå Ab (1948–1965), Vaasa-Umeå AB (1965–1979), Oy Vaasanlaivat – Vasabåtarna Ab (1979–1991) and Wasa Line (1991–1993) is different names for the Finnish shipping company that ceased trading in 1993 when it merged into Silja Line. Since 2013 the name is being used by a new company that operates between Vaasa (homebase) and Umeå.
In 1948, Rederi Ab Vasa-Umeå was founded to start passenger traffic across Kvarken, the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia. On 28 May, the company's first ship MS Turisten made its first journey from Vaasa in Finland to Umeå in Sweden. People living on both sides of Kvarken are predominantly Swedish-speaking, as were the company founders, hence the company originally only had a name in Swedish and ships were named in Swedish.
The company's first ships were used steamers, only capable of summer traffic. In 1958, Merivienti Oy, subsidiary of the Finnish forest industry giant Enso-Gutzeit, became the largest owner of Rederi Ab Vasa-Umeå. With funds from the new owner, the company could purchase their first ship capable of carrying cars, SS Korsholm III. In 1962, the company was delivered its only newbuild, MS Vaasa, a freighter that spent most of its career in the company chartered elsewhere, until it was sold in 1964.
In 1964, MS Wasa Express, the company's first genuine car and passenger ferry was purchased from Sessan Linjen. Wasa Express started a trend of buying ships from Sessan Linjen, as well as the trend of giving ships names ending with Express. In 1965, the company name was changed into the bilingual form Oy Vaasa – Umeå Ab. Two years later, with the purchase of the MS Botnia Express, operation between Vaasa and Sundsvall was launched. In 1970, a line from Vaasa to Örnsköldsvik was opened. The following year the company expanded further, opening a line between Pori and Sundsvall, however it proved unprofitable and was cancelled the following year.
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