New Delhi, March 31, 2023: Swedish ferry company, Rederi AB Gotland, has acquired the mini cruise ship BIRKA STOCKHOLM and plans to commence trips in the Baltic by 2024. The ship was purchased from Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö for $41 million, and it is expected to be delivered to Rederi AB Gotland in April 2023.
The BIRKA STOCKHOLM has been laid up during the pandemic-induced slowdown in the cruise industry and has not sailed since. The vessel, which was built in 2004 at Meyer Turku (then known as Aker Finnyards), has a gross tonnage of 34,900 and is 580 feet long. It has 734 cabins and can accommodate up to 1,800 passengers, and it was specifically designed for short day cruises in the Baltic according to the reports published in fleetmon.com.
Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö’s cruise division, Birka, had to suspend its operations in March 2020 due to increasing travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic. The company had hoped to restart its services in May but announced in July 2020 that it would be going out of business. The BIRKA STOCKHOLM was put up for sale after this.
Rederi AB Gotland and its subsidiary, destination Gotland, have announced that they will begin services in the spring of 2024, with sailings between Stockholm, Mariehamn, and Visby.
