Ånedinlinjen, the Swedish shipping company that operates the 1953 built Birger Jarl on short cruises between Stockholm and Mariehamn, will cease trading from the start of July. The 3,500 gross ton vessel that started life as a steamer but which was converted to diesel propulsion some thee decades ago has been operated at a loss and the company has been forced to close down the service.

The company sought debt restructuring at the new year, but the summer season had not produced an expected increase in passenger volumes, which prompted the management to make the decision to terminate the service.

Ånedinlinjen started operations in the early 1970s and it derives its name from Onedin Line, a contemporary BBC production on the life of members of a fictional Victorian shipping family in England. The letter Å equals O in pronounciation in the Swedish language.