In 1998, Nordström & Thulin left the joint venture, making Estline a fully owned Estonian shipping company.

On August 28, 1989, the Transport Committee of the Estonian SSR and the Swedish shipping company Nordström & Thulin AB inked a comprehensive agreement to inaugurate cruise ferry services between Tallinn and Stockholm.

On June 16, 1990, the cruise ferry MS Nord Estonia, owned by Nordström & Thulin Estline AB, departed from Stockholm heading for Tallinn, arriving the following morning.

On May 22, 1991, a new passenger terminal (B-terminal) opened at the Port of Tallinn, marking a European-style construction milestone before Estonia's restoration of independence.

In the fall of 1997, following ESCO's privatization, the cruise ferry MS Baltic Kristina commenced limited service on the Tallinn-Stockholm line.