Transfennica

Transfennica is a Finnish shipping company that operates primarily between the Baltic Sea and North Sea regions. Founded in 1976, it began operations with a single vessel, the Karelia, and steadily expanded its fleet and route network. By 2000 it was serving the North Sea and Baltic Sea with a total of 16 ships. In 2002 the company was acquired by the Dutch Spliethoff Group, under whose ownership it has continued to develop specialised tonnage. Transfennica's core business is the maritime transport of freight — particularly forest products, project cargo and other unitised goods — using ConRo (container/roll-on-roll-off) and ro-ro vessels. Together with the Spliethoff Group it developed and built six new ConRo ships of the Trafexpress class. These vessels are over 200 metres long, have a maximum speed of 23 knots and are designed for both short and long routes, including passages through the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). The company maintains a regular network linking ports in Finland and Estonia with ports in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. In Finland it calls at Rauma, Hanko and Hamina; in Estonia at Paldiski; in Germany at Rostock and Lübeck; in Belgium at Antwerp and Zeebrugge; and in the United Kingdom at Tilbury. Its office network includes Antwerp (Left Bank), Paldiski (South Harbour), Hanko (Western Harbour), Helsinki, Kotka, Lübeck (Seelandkai), Gdynia, Amsterdam and Tilbury. Transfennica emphasises quality and environmental performance. It was awarded its first Quality Certificate in 1992 and obtained ISO 14001 environmental certification in 1997. The company states that it is committed to reducing emissions with its modern fleet and to meeting high environmental standards through efficient use of resources, fuel economy and bringing goods as close to the customer as possible. It operates under the Spliethoff Group's Code of Conduct, supplier code and sustainability reporting framework. As of February 2026 the fleet consists of six Trafexpress-class vessels — Timca, Kraftca, Genca, Trica, Pulpca and Plyca — supplemented by several chartered ships. Transfennica remains a subsidiary of the privately held Spliethoff Group.

Transfennica was founded in 1976 and initially operated with a single ship, the Karelia. Over the following years the number of ships and routes grew steadily, and by 2000 Transfennica was serving the North Sea and Baltic Sea region with a total of 16 ships. In 2002 the company was taken over by the Dutch Spliethoff Group. In cooperation with the Spliethoff Group, six new ConRo ships of the Trafexpress class were developed and built. These vessels, over 200 metres long with a maximum speed of 23 knots, are suitable for both short and long routes and are specially designed for passages through the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). Transfennica has maintained a regular service network linking ports in Finland and Estonia with ports in Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. In Finland it calls at Rauma, Hanko and Hamina, and in Estonia at Paldiski. In Germany it serves Rostock and Lübeck, in Belgium Antwerp and Zeebrugge, and in the United Kingdom Tilbury. As of February 2026 the fleet consists of six Trafexpress-class ships — Timca, Kraftca, Genca, Trica, Pulpca and Plyca — plus several chartered vessels. The company was awarded its first Quality Certificate in 1992 and obtained ISO 14001 environmental certification in 1997. It continues to emphasise environmental responsibility and quality of service under the Spliethoff Group.

• 2026

  Fleet consists of six Trafexpress-class ships plus chartered vessels (as of February 2026).

• 2025

  Verification of Payee (VoP) requirement effective 9 October 2025.

• 2002

  Acquired by the Dutch Spliethoff Group.

• 2000

  Serving the North Sea and Baltic Sea region with a total of 16 ships.

• 1997

  Obtained ISO 14001 environmental certificate.

• 1992

  Awarded its first Quality Certificate.

• 1976

  Transfennica founded; begins operations with a single ship, the Karelia.

Quality- and environment-focused Baltic/North Sea ConRo and ro-ro carrier, part of the Spliethoff Group.

• Trafexpress-class ConRo vessels

  Six vessels over 200 m long, 23 knots max speed, designed for Kiel Canal transit.

• Liner services between Finland/Estonia and Germany/Belgium/Netherlands/UK

  Regular routes calling at Rauma, Hanko, Hamina, Paldiski, Rostock, Lübeck, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Tilbury and others.

1. 1Home | Transfennicatransfennica.com
2. 2Quality | Transfennicatransfennica.com
3. 3Image Library | Transfennicatransfennica.com
4. 4Transfennica - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Transfennica - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org