Wasaline has become the first carbon-neutral shipping company in the Baltic Sea. The milestone comes after the Finnish-Swedish operator signed a biogas supply deal with Gasum and entered a FuelEU Maritime pooling agreement with Stena Line.
Firstly, the agreements allow Wasaline to run entirely on biofuels, making the Vaasa–Umeå route the first operational international green shipping corridor, supported by the DNV-led Nordic Roadmap. The company had originally aimed for carbon neutrality by 2030, but has reached the goal five years ahead of schedule.
Aurora Botnia, Wasaline’s flagship, already operates with battery assistance. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to increase battery capacity to 12.6 MWh, making it the largest on any RoPax vessel. The upgrade, in cooperation with AYK Energy, Foreship, and Wärtsilä, is set for January 2026.
Also, Managing Director Peter Ståhlberg said Wasaline chose to focus on opportunities rather than exemptions from the EU’s Emissions Trading System. “With this collaboration, we can achieve carbon neutrality now, without extra costs for our customers,” he said.
DNV, which has been pushing for green shipping corridors, hailed the Vaasa–Umeå link as a milestone. “It directly supports the ambitions of the Clydebank Declaration and the Nordic zero-emission route initiative,” said Vegar Rype, Segment Director for RoRo and Ferries.
Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson noted that pooling Aurora Botnia into their FuelEU Maritime network gives them access to biogas that was previously unavailable. Gasum’s Vice President for Maritime, Jacob Granqvist, called biogas “a concrete solution” for cutting maritime emissions and pledged to expand supply in the years ahead.
