Nordic II - Coastline

Part two of the Nordic series the North by the Sea features the actual life at sea. Åland’s contribution to the series shows professional fishermen trawling from a fishing boat. Since the dawn of time, fishing has been an important Åland industry.

Originally, small-scale fishing was mainly conducted for domestic consumption, but fishing for sale or exchange for principally cereals soon developed. Baltic herring long dominated fishing. In older times, pike and trout, which were mostly fished by seine and hoop net, were the most important types of fish in addition to Baltic herring. From the Middle Ages until Sweden restricted the import of live fish in the 1950s, they were delivered by well-boats and sold primarily in Stockholm.

Divided into 42 professional, 28 side line and 215 other types of fishermen, a total of 285 fishermen were registered in Åland in July 2011. A professional fisherman derives at least 30 % of his income from fishing whereas the minimum limit for a side line fisherman is 15 %. Other types of fishermen are people who derive less than 15 % of their income from fishing. Of the above, 5 to 10 were engaged in deep-sea fishing and the rest solely in coastal fishing.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 21.03.2012

Designer: Juha Pykäläinen

Printer: Cartor Security Printing

Process: 4-colour offset

Colours: 4-colour offset

Size: 72 x 29 mm

Values: €1.00

Passenger Ferries 2012

S/S Birger Jarl and M/S Sally Albatross

The next two passenger ferries in turn to be presented on Åland stamps are S/S Birger Jarl and M/S Sally Albatross. These are ferries number seven and eight in a series of twelve ferry stamps.

S/S Birger Jarl was delivered by Finnboda shipyard to Swedish shipping company Stockholms Rederi AB Svea as S/S Birger Jarl in 1953.

After her maiden voyage on 6 June 1953 to Helsinki with invited guests, she was put in traffic for the collaborating shipping companies Bore, FÅA and Svea between Stockholm and Helsinki and Stockholm and Turku, calling at Mariehamn. In 1973, the ship was sold to Finnish shipping company Jakob Lines, and from 1976 to 1977, the ship berthed in Stavanger as a supply and receiving ship. In the autumn of 1978, she changed name to S/S Baltic Star. The steam engine was replaced by a diesel engine in 1982 and, five years later, a new section was added on the foredeck. With Ånedin-linjen as new owner in 2002, she was once again under Swedish flag and under her old name Birger Jarl, operating as cruising ship between Mariehamn and Stockholm.

M/S Sally Albatross came to be a ship dogged by bad luck. Ordered by Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally in Mariehamn to operate for Viking Line between Helsinki and Stockholm, the ship was built by Wärtsilä Shipyard, Turku, as M/S Viking Saga in 1980. In 1986, the ship was remodelled for cruising and renamed Sally Albatross. While docked at a shipyard in Stockholm in 1990, the ship was completely wrecked by a fire. Only the engines were left intact after the 3-day fire, so the owners decided to cut off everything above the engine room to build an entirely new superstructure. Completely reconstructed in March 1992, the ship recommenced her cruising operations between Helsinki and various ports in the Baltic. Two years later, a new accident occurred. Delayed en route from Tallinn to Helsinki, she slant across the reef off Porkkala at 19 knots and began to take in water. The ship had to be set aground not to sink. The ship made her last cruise in the Baltic in 2006 and was sold to Cyprus in 2007. Today, the ship operates in Greek waters under the name M/S Louis Cristal.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 01.02.2012

Designer: Håkan Sjöström

Printer: Cartor Security Printing

Process: Offset

Colours: 4-colour offset

Size: 35.4 x 26 mm

Values: €0.55, €0.75

Old wooden decoys on Franking labels

2012 sees the start of a new theme for Åland franking labels.

Reputable stamp artist Juha Pykäläinen was commissioned to illustrate old wooden duck decoys; first out is the eider duck.

Wildfowl decoys are lifelike dummies used by hunters to encourage birds to land nearby. The oldest decoys were made from plants such as bulrush, and the first decoys carved from wood were unpainted. Decoys are now mostly made from plastic. The new series of postal labels shows painted wooden decoys.

One of the largest sea ducks is the eider with a body length of 60 to 70 cm. It has a large bulky shape with a short neck, a large head and a long wedge-shaped bill without knob. The bill is feathered on the sides from the base of the bill to the nostrils. The eider can be readily distinguished by its characteristic triangular head shape with the bill and forehead forming a straight line. The wings are broad, short and relatively small with a wingspan of 95 to 105 cm. The male eider is also called eider drake.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 01.02.2012

Designer: Juha Pykäläinen

Printer: The Lowe Martin Group

Process: The Lowe Martin Group

Colours: 5-colour offset

Size: 40 x 30.34 mm

Values: €0.75, €0.80, €0.95, €1.00

Year Set 2012

The cover of the 2012 Year Set shows the motifs of this year's booklet featuring old buildings in Mariehamn. The Year Set is a complete collection of all the stamps, mini-sheets, miniature sheets and booklets issued in 2012.

A postal franking label (value €0.95) with an eider motif is also included in the set.

The set is completed with information about each issue in four languages: English, German, Swedish and Finnish.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 09.10.2012

Value: €31

Christmas Seals 2012

This year's Christmas seals were designed by artist Minna L. Immonen who has also designed the 2012 Christmas stamp. With their classic Christmas symbols they match this year's Christmas stamp perfectly. The profit from the sale of the Post's Christmas seals is donated to charity every year. This year's beneficiary is the Children's and Family Cancer Fund of the Åland Cancer Society. The Children's and Family Cancer Fund provides financial support to children with cancer and their families. Financial assistance is offered to facilitate the children's hospitalization and to ease the situation for the families of children with cancer. Financial support may also be given in cases where an adult member of the family has cancer to contribute to a positive experience, such as a journey, for the entire family.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 09.10.2012

Designer: Minna L. Immonen

Printer: Arkmedia

Process: 4-colour offset

Colours: 4 Colours

Size: 23 x 26 mm