- SF Line
SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as
Viking Line . The company, originally named Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan, was one of three shipping companies that formed shipping marketing company Viking Line in 1966, the other two being Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen andRederi AB Slite . After the other companies left Viking Line in1988 and1993 respectively, SF Line stood as the sole owner of Viking Line. As a result, SF Line changed its name to Viking Line in1995 .History
Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen (later Rederi Ab Solstad and merged into
Rederi Ab Sally in 1970) was founded in 1959 and started ferry operations between Gräddö (Sweden ) and Korpo (Finland ). After a disagreement between the founders, a group of men led byGunnar Eklund left Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen and started a new company, Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan. The new company purchased the steamer Brittany, renamed her "Ålandsfärjan" and started operations betweenKapellskär (Sweden) andMariehamn (Åland ) in direct competition with Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen.In 1966, Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan, Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen and Rederi AB Slite joined forces and founded the marketing company Viking Line in order to compete with
Silja Line . During the following years, the three companies ordered many newbuildings and Viking Line became a dominant operator in baltic ferry operations.In 1970, Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan changed its name to SF Line, 'S' referring to Sverige (Sweden) and 'F' to Finland. Their first newbuilding was the MS "Kapella", delivered in
1967 . As a tribute to Gunnar Eklund's wife Ellen, the names of all subsequent new ships of SF Line ends with '-ella'.When Rederi Ab Sally in 1987 was acquired by Silja Line's owning company EffJohn, SF Line and Rederi AB Slite forced Sally to leave Viking Line. After the bankruptcy of Rederi AB Slite in 1993, SF Line was the only remaining company in Viking Line. SF Line then changed its name to Viking Line.
hips
*1963 SS "Ålandsfärjan" (sold for scrap in 1972)
*1967 MS "Kapella" (sold in 1979, scrapped in 2006)
*1970 MS "Marella" (sold in 1980, scrapped in 2004)
*1973 MS "Aurella" (sold in 1982, currently MS "C.T.M.A Vacancier" forCoopérative de transport maritime et aérien )
*1979 MS "Turella" (sold in 1988, currently MS "Kongshavn" forKystlink )
*1980 MS "Rosella"
*1985 MS "Mariella"
*1987 MS "Ålandsfärjan" (sold in 2008 to G.A.P Adventures, renamed "Expedition")
*1988 MS "Amorella"
*1989 MS "Isabella"
*1989 MS "Cinderella" (renamed MS "Viking Cinderella" in 2003)
*1997 MS "Gabriella"
*2008 MS "Viking XPRS"ee also
*
Viking Line
*Rederi Ab Sally
*Rederi AB Slite
*Silja Line External links
* [http://www.vikingline.fi Viking Line Finnish homepage]
* [http://www.vikingline.ax Viking Line Ålandian homepage]
* [http://www.vikingline.se Viking Line Swedish homepage]
* [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/viking_line.htm Viking Line at Fakta om fartyg] (in Swedish)
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