Silja Line

Silja Line is a Finnish shipping company and cruiseferry brand owned and operated by the Estonian shipping company AS Tallink Grupp, for car, cargo and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden.

The former company Silja Oy—today Tallink Silja Oy—is, since 2006, a subsidiary of AS Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja Line brands in Finland as well as managing Tallink Silja's ship employees. Another subsidiary, Tallink Silja AB, handles marketing and sales in Sweden. Strategical corporate management is performed by Tallink Grupp which also own the ships.

As of 2009, four ships service two routes under the Silja Line brand, transporting about three million passengers and 200,000 cars every year. The Silja Line ships have a market share of around 50 percent on the two routes served.

The Silja Line logo features the text Silja Line and a figure of a seal. Since 2014, the figure of the seal has been smiling. The famous theme tune heard in Silja Line's television commercials comes from the tune "Un homme et une femme" ("A man and a woman") by the French film composer Francis Lai.

History

1904–1957

The history of Silja Line can be traced back to 1904, when two Finnish shipping companies, Finland Steamship Company (, FÅA for short) and Steamship Company Bore, started collaborating on Finland–Sweden traffic. The initial collaboration agreement was terminated in 1909, but re-established in 1910. After World War I in 1918, a new agreement was made that also included the Swedish Rederi AB Svea. Originally the collaboration agreement applied only on service between Turku and Stockholm, but it was also applied to the Helsinki–Stockholm route in 1928. As a precursor to the policies later adopted by Silja Line, each of the three companies ordered a near-identical ship for Helsinki–Stockholm service to coincide with the 1952 Summer Olympics, held in Helsinki. Eventually only Finland SS Co.'s was ready in time for the Olympics. At this time the city of Helsinki constructed the Olympia Terminal in Helsinki's South Harbour, which Silja Line's ships still use.

thumb|right|Model of MS Botnia in Siljavarustamo livery

thumb|right|Silja Line's old logo

1957–1970

Realising that car-passenger ferries would be the dominant traffic form in the future, the three collaborating companies decided to form a daughter company, /. The new company started out with used ships, which were not particularly well-fitted for the role they were meant for, Two more ships based on the Skandia design, and , were delivered in 1967 and 1970 respectively.

Despite the establishment of Silja, FÅA, Bore and Svea also continued to operate on the same routes with their own ships. This led to a somewhat complex situation where four different companies were marketed as one entity. In Finland they went by the name ('Sweden's Ships' or 'Ships to Sweden') whereas in Sweden the preferred terms were (roughly 'the ones that sail together'), ('Finland's Ships') or ('Sweden Ships'). In both countries the names of all four companies were usually displayed alongside the group identity.

1970–1980

In 1967, three of Silja's rival companies had formed a joint marketing and coordination company, Viking Line, which was to become Silja Line's main rival for the next two decades. FÅA, Bore and Svea soon realised that a similar arrangement would be preferable to their current fragmented image, and in 1970 a big change was carried out within the organisations: Silja Line was established as a joint marketing and coordination company between FÅA, Bore and Svea, and the ships of Siljavarustamo were divided between these three. All Silja Line ships were painted in the same colour scheme, with a white hull and superstructure, with Silja Line and the seal's head logo on the side in dark blue. Each company retained their own funnel colours, so it was easy to distinguish which ship belonged to which company even from a distance: Svea's funnels were white with a large black S, FÅA's were black with two white bands, and Bore's were yellow with a blue/white cross.

thumb|MS Bore Star, built 1975, left the Silja fleet in 1986 and re-joined it in 1993 as MS Wasa Queen.

Already before the reorganisation Silja had ordered two new ships from Dubigeon-Normandie S.A. of Nantes to begin year-round service between Helsinki and Stockholm (until then the route was summers only). In 1972, these were delivered to FÅA and Svea as and , respectively. Passenger numbers on the Helsinki route grew fast and already in 1973 it was decided that the three companies would each order a ship of identical design from the same shipyard to replace the current Helsinki–Stockholm ships. These were delivered in 1975, first and MS Wellamo, followed by in December. However, winter passenger numbers were insufficient for three ships, and as a result Bore Star was chartered to Finnlines during the winters of 1975–76 and 1976–77. During the latter part of the 1970s Effoa's old ferries and cruised the Baltic, Norwegian fjords and the Atlantic (from Málaga) under the marketing name Silja Cruises.

Despite the difficulties Silja's first real cruiseferries, and , entered service in 1981, which led to a 45% raise in passenger numbers. Late in the same year Johnson Line purchased Rederi AB Svea, and the former Svea ships received Johnson Line's blue/yellow colours. The good experiences with the new Helsinki ships prompted Effoa and Johnson Line to order two ships built on a similar principle for traffic on the Turku–Stockholm route, which were delivered in 1985 and 1986 as and . Although similar in proportions and interior layout, the new ships sported an attractive streamlined superstructure instead of the box-like superstructure of Finlandia and Silvia Regina.

thumb|right|, the largest [[cruiseferry in the world from 1993 to 2001, was built for Viking Line but chartered on delivery to Silja Line by the shipyard.]]

1993–2006

The year 1993 began with a bang. In January it was reported that Silja Line had chartered , a ship under construction for Rederi AB Slite, one of the owners of Viking Line. Because of financial troubles Slite could not pay for their new ship, and the shipyard decided to charter it to Silja instead. Later in the same year Silja joined forces with Euroway on their Malmö–Travemünde–Lübeck route. The route proved unprofitable and was terminated in spring 1994. but she was in Helsinki when Estonia sank and did not come to her assistance. The Estonia sinking led to passenger numbers dropping, which did not help Silja's precarious financial situation. The company was now the largest on the Baltic Sea, having finally overtaken Viking Line in 1993, but financially it was not doing well. In 1995, Effjohn changed their name to Silja Oy Ab. Three years later the name was changed again, this time to Neptun Maritime.

By 2004, Sea Containers owned Silja Line entirely. The company was doing well financially and all seemed to be going well. However, Sea Containers' other operations were not as profitable and in late 2005 they announced their intent to give up their ferry division completely; this naturally including selling Silja Line. In preparation for the sale, the unprofitable Finnjet and were taken out of service and transferred under Sea Containers' ownership. Silja Serenade and Symphony were also rebuilt in early 2006 to make them more attractive to potential buyers. However, most Silja Line marketing in Finland and Sweden has since the takeover been made under the combined Tallink Silja name.

In July 2008, the Tallink ship replaced the Silja Festival on the Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm route. The Galaxy was flagged to Sweden and the text Silja Line was painted on her hull sides. The Tallink logo remained on her funnel and the Navitrolla-designed livery of the ship, which differs from the livery of other Silja ships, was not altered. The Silja Festival, while remaining registered under the same name, was in turn moved to Tallink's Stockholm–Riga route, her funnel repainted in Tallink colours and the text Tallink painted on her sides.

In October 2009, the Managing Director of Silja Line (Tallink Silja Oy), Keijo Mehtonen, retired and Margus Schults was appointed to the post.

In February 2013 switched routes with the , with Baltic Princess now placed on the Turku–Stockholm route and Silja Europa on Helsinki–Tallinn cruises.

In July 2022, Tallink announced that MS Galaxy would be withdrawn in September 2022 from the Turku–Stockholm service for at least seven months. One month later, it was announced that Galaxys sister ship on the same route, MS Baltic Princess, at the same time would abandon calls at Mariehamn and Stockholm, instead calling at Långnäs and Kapellskär respectively. Tallink states that these changes are temporary and that full service would resume after the market downturn.

Fleet

Current fleet

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Ship

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Type

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Built

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Entered service

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Gross tonnage

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Passengers (max)

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Vehicles

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Knots

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Route

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Flag and home port

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Image

|MS Silja Serenade

|Cruiseferry

|1990

|1990–

|2.852

|450

|23

|Helsinki – Mariehamn – Stockholm

| Mariehamn, Finland

|frameless|170x170px

|MS Silja Symphony

|Cruiseferry

|1991

|1991–

|2.852

|450

|23

|Helsinki – Mariehamn – Stockholm

| Stockholm, Sweden

|frameless|170x170px

|MS Baltic Princess

|Cruiseferry

|2008

|2013–

|2.800

|600

|24,5

|Turku – Mariehamn / Långnäs – Stockholm

| Mariehamn, Finland

|frameless|170x170px

Former ships

Ships that are still in use are marked in green.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Ship

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Built

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Owner/operator

! style="background:#1E90FF"|In service

! style="background:#1E90FF"|Current status

|1915

|Siljavarustamo

|1957–1967

|Scrapped in Helsinki, Finland, 1971.

|1927

|Siljavarustamo

|1957–1964

|Scrapped in Baia, Romania, 1983.

|1966

|Siljavarustamo

|1966-1981

|Caught fire and sank as SS Ocean Dream in Oslo, Norway 2010

|1960

|Siljavarustamo

|1960–1961

|Scrapped in Gothenburg, Sweden, 1968.

|1961

|Siljavarustamo Finland Steamship Company

|1961–1974

|Sunk in the Atlantic, 1986.

|1962

|Siljavarustamo Rederi AB Svea

|1962–1974

|Scrapped in Eleusis, Greece, 1988.

|1964

|Siljavarustamo Svea Line (Finland) EffJohn; Silja Line

|1966–1970 1970–1984 1993–2001

|Scrapped in 2010.

|1967

|Siljavarustamo Steamship Company Bore

|1967–1970 1970–1975

|Sunk outside Morocco, 2008.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|1960

|Steamship Company Bore

|1970–1976

|Since 2010 hotel/restaurant/museum ship.

|1964

|Finland Steamship Company

|1970–1974 1978–1980

|Scrapped in 2015.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|

|1970

|Rederi AB Svea Steamship Company Bore

|1970–1973 1974–1976

|Since 2002 MS Birger Jarl for Ånedin Linjen.

|1970

|Finland Steamship Company

|1970–1975

|Scrapped in India, 2008.

|1972

|Finland Steamship Company

|1972–1977

|Scrapped in Alang, India, 2004.

|

|1972

|Rederi AB Svea Effoa

|1972–1978 1979

|Scrapped in Alang, India, 2005.

|

|1973

|Steamship Company Bore Effoa

|1973–1980 1980–1983

|Scrapped in Alang, India, 2021.

|1974

|Rederi AB Svea; Johnson Line

|1975–1984

|Scrapped in Aliağa, Turkey, 1995.

|

|1975

|Effoa Johnson Line

|1975–1981 1984–1985

|Sunk in 2017.

|

|1975

|Bore Line Effoa Effjohn

|1976–1980 1980–1986 1992–2000

|Scrapped in India, 2013.

|1981

|Effoa

|1981–1990

|Scrapped in 2025.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|1981

|Rederi Ab Svea; Johnson Line

|1981–1991

|Since 2020 MS Saga is accommodation platformfor laid up in Singapore for Bridgeman Expedition Lp, Limassol, Cypern. Management Tschudi Ship Management.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|

|1985

|Johnson Line EffJohn

|1985–1992 1992–1994

|Since 2008 MS Mega Smeralda for Corsica Ferries.

|1977

|Effoa; EffJohn

|1987–2006

|Scrapped in Alang, India, 2009.

|1980

|Effoa

|1990

|Sunk 1994 as MS Estonia.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|

|1992

|Euroway EffJohn

|1992–1994 1994–1997

|Since 1997 MS Gabriella for Viking Line.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

| (marketed as Wasa Jubilee)

|1985

|Silja Line

|1998 (charter)

|Since 2022 MS Superstar II for Seajets.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|HSC SuperSeaCat Four

|1999

|SeaContainers

|2000–2006 (summers only)

|Since 2021 HSC Superrunner Jet for Seajets.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|HSC SeaCat Denmark

|1990

|SeaContainers

|2000

|Since 2015 HSC Atlantic Express with Colonia Express.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|HSC SuperSeaCat Three

|1999

|SeaContainers

|2003–2006 (summers only)

|Since 2022 HSC Speedrunner Jet for Seajets.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|HSC SuperSeaCat One

|1997

|SeaContainers

|summer 2005

|Since 2023 HSC Speedrunner Jet 2 for Seajets.

|

|1992

|EffJohn Silja Line

|1992–1994 2002–2006

|Scrapped in Alang, India, 2025.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|

|1986

|Effoa; EffJohn Silja Line

|1986–1992 1992–2008

|Since 2015 MS Mega Andrea for Corsica Ferries.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|1993

|Effoa; EffJohn Silja Line

|1993–2013

|Since 2013 transferred to Tallink.

|- style="background:#7FFF7F;"

|2006

|Effoa; EffJohn Silja Line

|2008–2022

|Since 2023 chartered for Tallink in The Netherlands.

Terminals

Silja Line has five terminals, of which four are in Finland (two in mainland Finland and two in Åland) and one in Sweden.

thumb|right|Silja Line terminal in Turku, Finland

Finland

Helsinki: Olympia Terminal. Served by Helsinki tram lines 2 and 3.
Turku: Linnansatama. Served by the Port of Turku railway station and bus line 1.
Mariehamn: Västra Hamnen. Served by the Mariehamn city bus.
Lumparland: Långnäs.

thumb|right|Silja Line terminal in Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden

Stockholm: Värtahamnen.

Mascot

thumb|right|Harri Hylje

Harri Hylje (Harry the Seal) is Silja Line's seal mascot and the company's signature animal appearing in its logo. A living Harri Hylje figure appears on Silja Line ships especially on weekends and on school holiday periods.

History

The seal logo originated in 1967, allegedly half-accidentally from word play. During a brainstorming meeting among the marketing department, someone said in Swedish: "Who could bring some comfort for a thirsty soul?" The Swedish word for "soul" is själ, and in the archipelago it is pronounced similarly to the word for "seal", which is säl. The company name Silja Line had not yet been invented at the time, instead the cooperating shipping companies Bore, Effoa and Svea used the marketing name Ruotsinlaivat ("The ships to Sweden") in Finland and De Samseglande Finlandsbåtarna ("The ships to Finland sailing together") in Sweden.

At first the seal figure in the company's advertisements had multiple appearances: it swam along the ships, jumped in the water, sometimes even wore sunglasses and looked different depending on the artist in Finnish and Swedish marketing. At the start of the 1970s, when the marketing name Silja Line was taken into use, the Finnish advertising graphic artist Viktor Kaltala and the Swedish Janne Sjöström spent a day and a half together to come up with a common seal character for the Silja Line Logo. The Silja Line seal logo has since been altered at least in 1972, 2012 and 2014.

In autumn 2014 Tallink Silja, the advertising company Hasan & Partners and the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux produced an interactive advertising campaign based on the Harri Hylje figure at the tram stop outside the Helsinki Central railway station. Citizens could play or take selfies with a remotely controlled Harri Hylje figure shown on a video screen. The device printed gift cards for ferry cruises as a reward.

In 2018 the play equipment manufacturer Lappset produced Harri Hylje themed play ships for the Silja Serenade and the Silja Symphony.

History

1904–1957

1957–1970

1970–1980

1993–2006

Fleet

Current fleet

Former ships

Terminals

Mascot

History

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links