Tampere approves sale of ferry operator Suomen Hopealinja, buyer kept confidential

The city has accepted an offer for the shares of Suomen Hopealinja and will open negotiations on a final sale, according to YLE. The bid would keep Hopealinja’s operations, vessels and Viikinsaari under a single operator, and bidders have presented plans to develop the island’s services and appeal.

The purchaser's identity is being withheld for now and will be published separately. The buyer also seeks to buy city-owned buildings on Viikinsaari and to sign a 30-year lease on the island's land.

Matti Helimo, chair of the corporate subcommittee, said the package would secure long-term passenger traffic on Pyhäjärvi while reducing the city's financial responsibilities.

Hopealinja is the largest inland shipping company in the Nordic countries. It operates five vessels that carry about 100,000 passengers a year, serving routes to Viikinsaari, Visavuori and Hämeenlinna on Pyhäjärvi and, on Näsijärvi, as far as Virrat.

The sale follows earlier talks with prospective buyers that began in September when the city opened talks to sell the operator and comes after the city considered a municipal takeover of the ferries to protect services in mid‑October.