Swedish ferry operator Stena Line has formally completed its takeover of Finland’s Wasaline, finalising a deal announced in November last year.

The acquisition brings the Vaasa-Umea ferry service into Stena Line’s European route network, with the Wasaline brand set to be retained going forward, Wasaline said in a press release on Monday.

The transaction has now cleared all regulatory approvals and was endorsed by the respective city councils, which were the previous owners.

The LNG-fuelled hybrid vessel Aurora Botnia will continue to be owned by the cities’ jointly owned company, Kvarken Link.

Last year, Wasaline announced that the vessel would take on bio-LNG supplied by Gasum for its daily trip between Finland’s Vaasa and Sweden’s Umea.

“Stena Line provides us with long-term stability in operations and opportunities for growth,” Peter Stahlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline, said.

“We are proud to become part of the Stena Line family.”