Royal Wagenborg is exiting the pure roro sector after selling the ice-class sister vessels Bothniaborg and Balticborg to Wallenius SOL, according to Splash247. The deal also transfers Wagenborg's long-term contract of affreightment with Smurfit Westrock — a long-term agreement to ship cargo from the paper group's kraftliner mill in Piteå, northern Sweden. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Vessel details
Built in 2004, the 10,254 dwt vessels are Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A and offer around 1,635 lane metres of roro capacity each. The pair has served the Smurfit Westrock operation since entering service, moving forest products between the Bay of Bothnia and continental Europe.
| Vessel | Built | DWT | Ice class | Lane metres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bothniaborg | 2004 | 10,254 | Finnish-Swedish 1A | ~1,635 |
| Balticborg | 2004 | 10,254 | Finnish-Swedish 1A | ~1,635 |
The Piteå mill has annual production capacity of around 700,000 tonnes of kraftliner, the cargo covered by the transferred contract.
Wagenborg's general cargo refocus
Wagenborg said the sale would leave it focused on its core ice-class general cargo business, Splash247 reported. Earlier in July, the company teamed up with Carisbrooke Shipping on up to 10 ice-class multipurpose newbuildings at China's Dajin Heavy Industries, with the first ships due from 2027.
Wallenius SOL's expanding fleet
The acquisition adds two more ice-capable vessels to a fleet currently spanning roro, conro and container feeder tonnage, according to Splash247. Wallenius SOL has been expanding both its fleet and network. The company acquired UK-based roro and logistics operator Mann Lines last year, while Wallenius Lines completed its buyout of SOL Group's stake in May to become the shortsea operator's sole owner.
Service continuity and integration
Wallenius SOL will initially continue the existing service before gradually integrating the volumes into its wider northern European network. The Swedish operator plans to move the cargo towards roro cassette handling and eventually deploy ships from its next-generation newbuilding programme on the trade.
Wallenius SOL will initially continue the existing service before gradually integrating the volumes into its wider northern European network.
For shippers of forest products on the Bay of Bothnia–continental Europe lane, the near-term service remains intact, with longer-term changes expected as Wallenius SOL introduces cassette handling and next-generation tonnage.
Watch list
- Integration timeline: How quickly Wallenius SOL folds the Smurfit Westrock volumes into its broader northern European network, affecting schedules and equipment on the Bay of Bothnia lane.
- Newbuilding deployment: The eventual introduction of next-generation vessels and roro cassette handling on the trade.
- Wagenborg's fleet renewal: Delivery of the 10 ice-class multipurpose newbuildings from Dajin Heavy Industries from 2027, reshaping the Dutch owner's post-roro fleet.
- Wallenius SOL ownership moves: Further expansion following the Wallenius Lines buyout of SOL Group's stake in May and the Mann Lines acquisition last year.
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