The move comes after the European Commission threatened to fine Finland if it did not stop snus sales onboard the ferry M/S Eckerö, which sails between Grisslehamn and Berghamn in Finland’s Åland Archipelago. The sale of snus is banned throughout the EU, but Sweden is exempted from the ban.
A press release from ferry company Eckerö Linjen said that flying the Swedish flag would ensure the line’s continued existence.
The M/S Eckerö has 113 crew members, who will keep their jobs under the flag change. Eckerö Linjen also owns 96 percent of Birka Line, a listed company operating a Finnish-registered ferry, the Birka Paradise between Stockholm and Mariehamn in Åland. There are no plans for the Birka Paradise to change flags, the company said.