RG Line
RG Line Oy Ab was a Finnish shipping company founded in 2001 that operated a ferry line between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden until the end of 2012. Nowadays the Vaasa-Umeå line is operated by Wasa Line.
Industry | Passenger transportation Freight transportation |
---|---|
Founded | 2001 |
Headquarters | Vaasa, Finland |
Area served | Gulf of Bothnia |
Key people | Rabbe Grönblom |
Website | www.rgline.com |
The company was founded in 2001 by well known Vaasa-based businessman Rabbe Grönblom, just months after Silja Line had put their traffic on Kvarken / Merenkurkku to an end because of a decision in the EU to stop taxfree sales on travels between member states. RG Line bought Silja's M/S Fennia and renamed her to M/S Casino Express, the ship was put in traffic on the route Vaasa–Umeå on 16 May 2001. At first RG Line profiled the ship as a ship where you could have fun and party, much like the ferries who trafficked Kvarken in the tax-free times. However, it did not become a success; people did not want to cruise any more. The blackjack and roulette tables they had added to get a casino feeling were removed before a year had passed. The company focused on ordinary travellers and cargo instead. The route over Kvarken was supported financially by the city of Vaasa. The city of Umeå or the county of Västerbotten do not support international connections because of a policy. The county of Västerbotten is responsible for local bus transport, but they don't have a bus line to the Umeå port, the nearest is 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) away.
The company filed for bankruptcy on 29 November 2011, and the operations are suspended. Despite the bankruptcy, the company is still continuing operations at least until October 2012.