AURORA BOTNIA Green dream newbuild debuts on Gulf of Bothnia

The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland’s west coast (Ostrobothnia) and Sweden’s east coast (Westrobothnia and North Bothnia). At the southern end of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea. At its narrowest point is Kvarken, separating the Bothnian Bay (the inner part of the gulf) from the Bothnian Sea, with the distance between the two countries here being 57 nautical miles (105km).

Kvarken ferry services across the Gulf, between Finnish and Swedish ports, were operated with some success from 1945 until July 1999, when intra-EU duty-free stopped, after which the attraction of the route, and its viability, ended, causing then operator Silja Line to stop in September 1999. Successor RG Line failed in 2012 after 11 years