Swedish Archipelago Shipowners is an industry organization for shipping companies with ferry and passenger ships with up to 500 passengers. The association mainly organizes shipping companies with passenger ships in archipelago traffic and represents approximately 115 member shipping companies with 340 vessels annually transporting more than 35 million passengers and 12 million vehicles (2017). The archipelago shipowners' member shipping companies are state, municipal, or privately owned and are responsible for almost all ship-based public transport, road ferry, and tourist traffic in Sweden. Many member shipping companies are small companies where the shipowners themselves work onboard their vessels. The ships operate throughout the country in archipelagos and cities along the coasts, lakes, and canals. Traffic is a prerequisite for a living archipelago and is important for tourism, recreation, and public transport. The road ferries are part of the Swedish road network.