30.8. Neon 2 Do you remember hits like Kemiaa and Polku by the band that sold double?

20.9. E-Rotic Eurodance hits Fred come to bed and Sex on the Phone were not that subtle.

25.10. Rednex No 90’s kid could escape the hits Cotton Eye Joe and Wish You Were Here.

13.9. Evelina Honey & Tornado – hits by the first Finnish female artist with 10 million Spotify streams.

4.10. Teflon Brothers Officially Estonian, the band always throws a party. Do you remember: Maradona (kesä ‘86), Pämppää?

8.11. Jukka Poika The pioneer of Finnish reggae, his Mielihyvää and Kylmästä lämpimään bring a smile on your face.

Stay tuned! Pääset osallistumaan 26.7. alkaen arvontaan, jossa voit voittaa liput neljälle henkilölle valitsemallesi Vuosikymmenten bileet -risteilylle. Ensimmäiset voittajat arvotaan 2.8.2024. Uusia voittajia arvotaan joka viikko 20.9. saakka.

Back then the company was known as Eestin Linjat. 25 August 1994, an inaugural cruise on m/s Alandia was arranged for invited guests. Other customers could buy entrance tickets to the cruise for a special price, one hundred Finnish marks, which is equivalent to about 28 Euros today. Regular scheduled traffic from Olympia Terminal in Helsinki started on 4 September 1994.

In 1994, many things in Finland and Estonia were different from today. In Estonia, the last Russian troops left the country, which is about three years after regaining independence. In Finland, after a referendum, parliament approved the country's accession to the European Union. The Nokia 2110 was a popular mobile phone around the world. Only in the dreams of ice hockey fans had Finland won gold in the World Ice Hockey Championships.

The company name Eestin Linjat is changed to Eckerö Line. The Port of Helsinki expanded the West Terminal to meet the increased passenger volumes. The harbour area was enlarged by more than a hectare.

The foreign ministers of Finland and Estonia, Tarja Halonen and Toomas Hendrik Ilves, signed an agreement on visa-free travel. The visa exemption meant a big leap towards easy and smooth travel between Finland and Estonia. In 1996, a total of more than four million trips were made between Estonia and Finland, of which Finns accounted for approximately 90 percent. With visa freedom, it was estimated that tourism to Finland, especially by Estonians, would increase, as a visa had been more expensive than a ship ticket.

You could book a boat trip with cabin, meals and transportation for your car online. The advanced internet users of their time quickly adopted the service. Today, no less than 80% of all tickets sold by Eckerö Line are purchased online.

In 2012, Eckerö Line opened its own Facebook account to serve customers through the channels that customers use – that is, also through social media. The company's first Facebook event was the maiden cruise of m/s Finlandia on New Year's Eve 2012. In the spring of 2024, Eckerö Line has a total of about 88,700 followers on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Today, being a digitalization pioneer is still a part of Eckerö Line's activities.

In 2021, Eckerö Line introduced its own mobile application. For example, the boarding card can be found in the app and with it the passenger can get from the terminal through the departure gate directly to the ship – and all the way to the cabin. The cabin key cards that are also available in the app are still rare in the industry, but Eckerö Line has wanted to be strictly up-to-date even in this development.

At the turn of the millennium, the atmosphere on the shores of the Baltic Sea was optimistic. In Finland and especially in Estonia, the economies grew rapidly driven by technology companies, digitalization advanced quickly and international cooperation at different levels in society was lively. Passenger records were broken in traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn.

Estonia joined the European Union in the spring of 2004. This caused many changes to ships operating on the Gulf of Finland as well: tax-free sales ceased, but on the other hand, the lower price level in Estonia and Tallinn's appeal as a travel destination ensured that the boat ticket sale continued to be brisk. In addition, the outlook on Estonia's international trade was positive as a result of EU membership.

Eckerö Line responded to the growth of the freight market by introducing a new ship between Helsinki and Tallinn, the Translandia, which focused solely on freight. The ship was probably already familiar to Finnish passengers, as it had previously operated in the Gulf of Bothnia under the name Transparaden and between Helsinki and Lübeck under the name Transgermania.

In 2010, a project was launched to develop the port of Muuga. The goal was to make Muuga one of the largest cargo shipping harbours in the Baltic Sea. This meant a significant increase in capacity, which required the construction of new piers and the expansion of existing ones. In addition, the project was expected to improve the port's logistical connections, such as rail and road connections, so that the transfer of goods from the port to the rest of Estonia and on to other Baltic countries would be more efficient.

In 2013, Eckerö Line reached an important milestone, when the number of passengers transported annually exceeded one million customers for the first time. The millionth customer, Henna from Vantaa, received a festive welcome with breakfast and sparkling wines as she boarded the ship. In addition, Henna was rewarded with a four-person trip to Tallinn with an A-class cabin and Buffet Eckerö meals. In ten years, the next milestone in the million range was reached, when Eckerö Line passed the threshold of two million annual passengers in 2023.

Another kind of milestone was passed in Estonia in 2013; Estonia joined the group of countries that have their own satellite orbiting the Earth when EstCube-1 was successfully launched into orbit on 7 May 2013. It was the first satellite to attempt to use solar wind as an energy source. Once upon a time Juri Gagarin also travelled to space with Estonian help, his food intended for consumption in space was prepared in Estonia.

Eckerö Line's m/s Finbo Cargo started operating under the Finnish flag from Vuosaari in Helsinki to Muuga in Tallinn on 27 June 2019. Customers were very positive about the new route – after all, Finbo Cargo offers a flexible option for both freight transports and travellers with cars. With Finbo, you also avoid congestion in the centre of both Helsinki and Tallinn. Today, 60% of Eckerö Line's cargo transports pass through Vuosaari harbour.

The launch of Finbo Cargo was Eckerö Line's timely response to the public debate about congestion in the vicinity of Helsinki harbours due to growing passenger and cargo traffic. The city of Helsinki launched several related plans, from the replacement of the old West terminal 1 building to the extension of the metro line to Vuosaari harbour.

Passengers were affected by several, sometimes very tough, restrictions during the different phases of the pandemic. Shipping was, however, able to continue, and Finland's security of supply was always assured. Up to 90% of Finland's cargo traffic goes by sea and up to 60% of freight transports takes place by trucks on passenger ships. With Eckerö Line ships, among others, food, medicine and, for example, spare parts for industry were imported to Finland reliably and regularly even during the pandemic. Thanks to shipping, the Finnish vital export also continued without interruption. Tourism quarantine rules also prompted shipping companies to create new services. For Eckerö Line, this meant, among other things, special cruises to Hanko in the summers of 2021 and 2022.

We have come a long way from the days of one ship and a one-day-cruise till today, when Eckerö Line's m/s Finlandia and m/s Finbo Cargo transports passengers and cargo across the Gulf of Finland reliably and safely 12 times a day. The passenger volumes are also quite different today; Eckerö Line crossed the milestone of two million annual passengers in 2023.

At the beginning of 2024, m/s Finlandia was extensively renewed. The renovation work focused especially on reducing fuel consumption, which directly reduces the ships' climate emissions. During the docking, new rudders and propeller blades were installed on the vessel, and with the help of the modification work, the targeted 6% emission reduction has already been achieved. At the shipyard, the bottom of the ship was also treated with a special paint that improves gliding in the water. This measure also reduces fuel consumption.