Stena Line acquires Wasaline
Stena Line strengthens its position in the Baltic Sea by acquiring NLC Ferry Ab Oy/Wasaline and taking over operations of the ferry route between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland.
“It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we at Stena Line take on the responsibility for Wasaline and the route between two important regions and cities, Umeå and Vaasa,” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.
The only existing ferry connection between Umeå and Vaasa is jointly owned by the two cities through the 50/50-owned company Kvarken Link, which in turn owns NLC Ferry which operates under the auxiliary name Wasaline. Under the agreement signed today, Stena Line will acquire NLC Ferry and take over the operation of Wasaline. The vessel Aurora Botnia, which sails the route, will continue to be owned by Kvarken Link, the company jointly owned by the two cities.
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Originally published on 4 Nov
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The North Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment has awarded Medanets a grant of about €200,000 to accelerate the development of new AI-driven features and capabilities for their app.
AI technologies have already begun to reshape a range of clinical workflows, and national-level studies have explored their potential in healthcare. AI offers promising opportunities to streamline operations, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen diagnostic and care pathways.
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Originally published on 16 Feb
Insta, a trusted Finnish cybersecurity provider, has entered a landmark agreement with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an international telecommunications collaboration platform, to deliver Managed PKI Service worldwide. The agreement spans TIP’s network of over 150 member organizations further solidifying Insta’s standing in the international cybersecurity arena.
Telecom Infra Project Inc (TIP) is a global non-profit trade association, with a diverse member community of operators, equipment manufacturers, system integrators, software houses, startups and research institutions. This global community’s collective mission is to develop, test and deploy at scale open, disaggregated, autonomous, cloud-native, AI-driven solutions, with a purpose of modernizing and transforming telecommunication networks to prepare for advanced communication needs for citizens and businesses globally. TIP is governed by a set of major industry players including AT&T, Orange, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, MTN, Telus, Echostar, Intel, Meta and AWS.
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Originally published on 12 Feb
Hurtigruten is launching a new sailing from Copenhagen to Tromsø via North Cape as one of three new routes along Norway’s coast. The new itinerary gives Scandinavians and international travelers the opportunity to journey from the continent to the Arctic, with stops in some of Norway’s most iconic coastal towns and natural areas.
Demand from Scandinavia is growing strongly. The number of Danish customers has increased by 17 percent from 2024 to 2025, while the number of Swedish travelers has grown by 20 percent during the same period.
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Originally published on 12 Feb
Estonia’s defence sector is making rounds even beyond Europe, and this week has demonstrated its digital capabilities at the World Defence Show in Riyadh. According to the official press release, the delegation members have secured three memoranda of understanding with regional and international partners.
The agreements, signed during the 13 February 2026 event, included partnerships between Threod Systems and Saudi Arabia’s First Shield, DefSecIntel Solutions and Oman’s The Armored Group, and Frankenburg Technologies and South Korea’s Hanwha. The deals cover autonomous systems, surveillance, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS), and digitally integrated defence technologies.
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Originally published on 13 Feb
Chambers & Partners has published the Chambers Global Guide 2026, once again recognising Ellex among the leading law firms in the Baltics in Corporate/Commercial and Dispute Resolution.
The 2026 results reflect the strength of Ellex as one integrated Baltic team, combining top-tier department rankings with broad individual recognition across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
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Originally published on 13 Feb
On Sunday, 15 February 2026, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and the CBSS Secretariat will jointly host a roundtable side event at this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC 2026). The session will focus on countering hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea Region.
The session will be chaired by Dr Gustav Lindström, Director General of the CBSS Secretariat, and is due to include interventions from Mr Radosław Sikorski (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, and Chair of the CBSS), Ms Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir (Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland), Mr Espen Barth Eide (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway), and Mr Martin Roger (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia).
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Originally published on 13 Feb
Latvian space technology startup Deep Space Energy has raised €350,000 in pre-seed funding from two sources: firstly the local Outlast Fund and secondly from Linas Sargautis, co-founder of the Lithuanian space startup NanoAvionics (now Kongsberg NanoAvionics).
Space technology startup Deep Space Energy has raised €350,000 in pre-seed funding from two sources: firstly the local Outlast Fund and secondly from Linas Sargautis, co-founder of the Lithuanian space startup NanoAvionics (now Kongsberg NanoAvionics).
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Originally published on 13 Feb
NIB has agreed on a credit facility of up to EUR 50 million with SIA Rīgas ūdens to support a 2025–2028 investment programme for wastewater treatment and clean-water infrastructure. The aim is to improve service reliability and quality and to cut non-revenue water.
The total programme cost is EUR 235 million and is also co-financed by a EUR 70 million loan from the European Investment Bank, as well as funding raised through green bond issuances.
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Originally published on 12 Feb
Strong and durable collaboration between cultural actors and tourism stakeholders across Northern Sweden and Northern Finland could play an important role in strengthening regional development in the Bothnian Arc. This conclusion is presented in a new white paper produced within the ACCENT project, a cross-border collaboration between the University of Oulu, Luleå University of Technology, LTU Business, and the Oulu Culture Foundation.
The white paper, Opening pathways to sustainable cultural tourism in the North, presents evidence-based insights from the ACCENT project on how culture-led tourism can support sustainable regional development across Northern Sweden and Northern Finland.
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Originally published on 9 Feb
Students from technical schools in the Pomeranian region, specializing in renewable energy, have embarked on a unique educational journey into the offshore wind industry. Launched by Equinor and Polenergia, the “Setting the Course for Offshore” program opens the door for young people to the world of offshore wind – one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Polish economy.
The program is delivered in cooperation with partners: Pomeranian Employers, the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Chamber, Rumia Invest Park, and the Pomeranian Offshore Renewable Energy Competence Centre.
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Originally published on 9 Feb