Finnlines, a roll-on/roll-off carrier operating in the Baltic Sea, has begun a service for freight and passengers between Finland and Poland, and between Poland and Germany. The first links Helsinki with Gdynia; the second runs between Gdynia and Travemunde. At the same time, the company is strengthening its presence in the Germany-Finland (Travemunde/Helsinki) trade by increasing the number of weekly sailings to ten. In May, Finnlines began offering customers a wide range of destinations in 13 Mediterranean countries, through cooperation with Italy's Grimaldi Group, which owns 64.9 percent of the Finnish operator. The company also has begun a weekly link between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, connecting with services calling all of the destinations served by both Finnlines and Grimaldi Lines.
Finnlines