Over 150 cruise ships to call at Ports of Stockholm in 2026

Cruise traffic in Ports of Stockholm continues to increase. In 2026, 157 vessels with more than 300,000 passengers are expected to visit the ports. Cruise ship calls now occur throughout the year, with the majority of passengers coming from the German market.

The list of cruise calls for 2026 has now been published and shows continued positive development for cruise traffic at Ports of Stockholm. Seven ships will make their maiden call and a new cruise line is establishing itself. A total of 157 cruise calls are expected at the ports during the year – an increase compared with both 2025 and 2024. Twenty-one of the calls will be made at the Port of Nynäshamn – the highest number in many years.

“It’s great to see that demand is picking up again in the Baltic Sea and that the number of cruise ships is steadily increasing. Occupancy on board is also high, which means that the number of passengers is rising significantly,” says Stefan Scheja, Marketing Manager Ferries and Cruises at Ports of Stockholm.

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Originally published on 2 Dec

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Finnish officials visit Hycamite, highlighting its rising critical minerals role

By Hycamite 30 March 2026

A delegation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, along with other distinguished guests, visited Hycamite Friday for a tour of its Customer Sample Facility (Decarbonization Plant). The group explored the company’s technology and capabilities, including its battery‑grade graphite production capabilities.

CEO Laura Rahikka and Chairman of the Board Matti Malkamäki hosted the visitors. Following the tour, Malkamäki provided an in-depth briefing on Hycamite’s methane-splitting technology, its role in electrification, and our capacity to convert carbon into battery-grade graphite. Hycamite’s industrial-scale demonstration plant capacity produces 2 kt hydrogen annually in addition to high-value, solid carbon products.

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Originally published on 30 Mar

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airBaltic Begins Summer Season 2026 with Nine New Routes

By airBaltic 30 March 2026

The Latvian airline airBaltic announces the start of the summer season 2026, running until late October 2026, by introducing nine new routes, relaunching several previously operated services, and increasing frequencies on nearly 30 existing routes from its bases across all three Baltic States and Finland.

Since 29 and 30 March, airBaltic has launched new connections between Riga (Latvia) and Kaunas (Lithuania), Oulu (Finland), and Warsaw (Poland), as well as relaunched services between Riga and Belgrade (Serbia). Additionally, newly launched destinations from Tallinn (Estonia) include Hamburg (Germany) and Vienna (Austria), alongside the relaunch of flights to Oslo (Norway).

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Originally published on 30 Mar

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Baltic microenterprises to get €15 million financing boost under EIF-backed initiative by alternative lender Capitalia

By European Investment Fund 30 March 2026

The smallest companies in the Baltics will be eligible for up to €15 million in loans as a result of an initiative that alternative financing provider Capitalia is undertaking with support from the European Investment Fund (EIF). Capitalia will use an EIF guarantee to offer crowdfunded loans to microenterprises in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania over three years.

Microenterprises, which have fewer than ten employees and annual turnover or total assets below €2 million, often struggle to secure funding from traditional lenders because of limited collateral or credit history.

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Originally published on 30 Mar

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Sweden: EIB loan to help Stockholm cut wastewater pollution and protect the Baltic Sea

By European Investment Bank 27 March 2026

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending the City of Stockholm 5 billion Swedish kronor (around €470 million euro) to finance the city’s largest environmental investment in decades. The project involves closing the Bromma treatment plant and routing all the city’s wastewater to a significantly expanded and modernised treatment plant at Henriksdal.

The key element of the investment is a new wastewater collection tunnel that will transport sewage from Bromma to Henriksdal. The plant there will be expanded using advanced membrane technology, making it possible to treat more water without increasing the floor area and with significantly better results.

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Originally published on 26 Mar

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Defence sector pre-accelerator invites companies to develop solutions to strengthen Estonia’s defence capabilities

By Tehnopol 27 March 2026

The defence sector pre-accelerator Defence Business Lab is beginning its second year of operation and is inviting companies and teams to apply with technological solutions that support Estonia’s defence capabilities. The programme helps take defence technologies from idea and prototype stage through to testing and international growth opportunities.

The pre-accelerator is aimed at companies developing technologies applicable in the defence sector that need support in understanding the specific characteristics of the defence market, developing and positioning their solution, and preparing for the next stages of growth, including applying to international programmes.

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Originally published on 27 Mar

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Freeport of Ventspils Authority Presents a Model for Green Energy Development

By Freeport of Ventspils Authority 26 March 2026

From March 17 to 19, a Consortium meeting of the European Union co-funded project H2Deri@BSP took place in Luleå, Sweden. The Freeport of Ventspils Authority was represented by Kaspars Liepiņš, developer of the renewable energy cluster.

During the meeting, project partners familiarised themselves with the Port of Luleå, one of the largest cargo ports in Sweden and an important industrial centre in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia. They discussed project activities and latest updates and presented interim results of their work tasks. The Freeport of Ventspils Authority presented a techno-economic and commercial model designed to assess the development potential of solar, wind, and hybrid power plants, as well as green hydrogen and its derivative production facilities.

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Originally published on 26 Mar

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Poland’s and Finland’s hydrogen clusters forge alliance to boost Baltic energy independence

By H2 Cluster Finland 26 March 2026

In a significant move to bolster European energy independence, Hydrogen Cluster Finland and Poland’s key Hydrogen Cluster Lower Silesian Hydrogen Valley Association (LSHVA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the creation of an integrated hydrogen market in the Baltic Sea region. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the leading Polish hydrogen conference, H2 Poland, taking place in Poznań.

The parties agree to cooperate in advancing a sustainable and safe green and low carbon hydrogen economy through knowledge exchange, ecosystem building, and mutual promotion of innovation and industry development. In addition to its regional role in one of the key hydrogen hubs of Poland, LSHVA will serve as national coordination platform for Finnish-Polish hydrogen interests.

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Originally published on 25 Mar

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PowerUP Energy Technologies expands into Sweden, Denmark, and Norway with landmark partnership

By Announcements and Trade with Estonia 26 March 2026

Estonian company PowerUP Energy Technologies, a leading European developer of hydrogen fuel cell solutions, announced its expansion in Scandinavia through a strategic distribution agreement with Greener InfoTech Systems Sweden AB.

Under this agreement, Greener InfoTech Systems AB (GITSAB) will serve as the authorised distributor for PowerUP’s hydrogen-based energy generation products across Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. This partnership is designed to meet the surging demand for portable, zero-emission power in a region that leads the world in the transition toward a hydrogen economy.

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Originally published on 25 Mar

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AI Leap programme recognised with Deed of the Year 2025 award by IT companies

By TI-Hype 25 March 2026

The Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) recognised the most outstanding technological achievements and contributors of 2025 at its anniversary event. The Deed of the Year 2025 award was presented to the AI Leap Foundation for launching an education programme that helps Estonian schools adapt to the age of AI.

ITL annually recognises individuals and organisations whose ideas, initiatives or activities have significantly impacted the development of digital technology in Estonia or society more broadly. Awards were presented in four categories: Doer of the Year, Deed of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year and Role Model of the Year.

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Originally published on 24 Mar

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Finland needs a growth agreement – Sitra publishes an unprecedentedly comprehensive review of the building blocks of sustainable growth

By Announcements 25 March 2026

The problems affecting the Finnish economy are deep and structural. Sitra proposes a solution in the form of a growth agreement that transcends government terms and party lines.

“Finland has all the necessary prerequisites to overcome its current underperformance. We have world-class technological expertise, strong societal trust that supports growth, and well-functioning institutions. From this starting point, we must aim higher,” says Sitra’s President Atte Jääskeläinen.

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Originally published on 25 Mar

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