Wallenius and Swedish Orient Line create new shipping company

Scandinavia has a new shipowner. Wallenius SOL has started operations this month out of Gothenburg as a joint venture between two local owners, Wallenius and Swedish Orient Line (SOL).

The new company will transport forestry products and other goods in a network covering the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

The first customers to sign long-term agreements with this new green-focused line are Finnish renewable materials firm Stora Enso and Sweden’s Metsä Board, a producer of fresh fibre paperboards.

“Together we can offer a strong mix of experience and competence, which can support a growing forest industry,” said Ragnar Johansson, managing director of the new line. Johansson is also managing director at SOL.

“Wallenius has experience from industrial shipping, shipowning, shipbuilding and shipmanagement. SOL brings the competence of logistics from forest industry and other types of cargo in this geographical area,” Johansson added.

Wallenius SOL will have services in the region around the Baltic Sea including Gulf of Bothnia, operating from five ports with regular calls to the continent and the UK.

“We rely on efficient and sustainable transports for our products,” commented Knut Hansen, SVP logistics global at Stora Enso. ”The partnership with Wallenius SOL will enhance our opportunities to compete globally, while at the same time the new vessels will reduce environmental impact.”

Specially designed vessels built to Finnish/Swedish ice class 1A Super will ensure year-round service, even in the the Gulf of Bothnia. The fleet in service in the Baltic Sea will initially consist of five vessels. Up to four new vessels have been ordered and delivery of the new vessels is planned for 2021. These vessels will be LNG-powered and will also have other features that make them among the most environmentally efficient vessels in the area.