RIGA - Estonia's Tallink shipping company is ready to launch regular passenger ferry traffic between Riga and Stockholm beginning April 2006, Transport Minister Ainars Slesers told journalists May 19.
Slesers said that the ministry has reached an agreement with Tallink Chairman Enn Pant the same day and that he was planning to sign the agreement with Pant in two 's three months.
Pursuant to the plan, two passenger ferries will be allocated to the route, with each carrying approximately 1,500 passengers.
Slesers explained that in order to finalize the details for the route, Riga Free Port and Tallink would have to sit down at the negotiating table. "Riga Port will have much work to do to prepare the infrastructure so that the port can accommodate big and modern passenger ferries," he said.
The minister said that two Tallink ferries could most likely dock at Riga Passenger Port, which is run by Rigas Pasazieru Terminals (Riga Passenger Terminal), a private firm. If the company is unable to ensure adequate docking conditions for Tallink ships, the ferries may dock elsewhere in Riga Free Port, Slesers said.
Tallink has also prepared technical requirements for ensuring regular ferry traffic and will present them to the representatives of Riga Port.
Slesers noted that Tallink wants to start operations in April of next year since the following month Riga will host the world hockey championship.
Tallink, which is based in Tallinn Port, is the Baltics' leading passenger shipper, with five car-and-passenger ferries, four high-speed ships and two cargo ships.
Currently, ferry traffic between Riga and Stockholm is provided by Rigas Juras Linijas. Previously, RJL managers voiced dissatisfaction with Slesers' initiative, but with the change of government in Riga the level of dissent has been muted.
Speaking of RJL's performance, Slesers said, "Let's not cheat ourselves. The project has failed. RJL is not yielding profit."
He added that Scandinavian Silja Line, another regional shipping company, is not planning to provide ferry traffic to Riga for the time being, since it does not have free ships to ensure the service.
Meanwhile, the Riga City Council announced that, together with the port, it may decide to sell their stake in RJL in June when the port's board is scheduled to review the company's 2004 results.
Andris Ameriks, Riga City Council's representative on the port's board and deputy mayor in charge of the city's property, confirmed that if RJL is failing to fulfill its functions set in the local authorities law, its stake would have to be sold.
RJL was founded in 2002 to ensure regular ferry traffic between Riga and Stockholm. Shareholders include Riga City Council (35.48 percent), Astramar company (27.51 percent), Riga Free Port (19.72 percent), Ilmaco Limited (9.77 percent), Juris Sabasovs (4.39 percent) and Vjaceslavs Sprisevskis (3.12 percent).
Last year RJL ferries carried 78,292 passengers between Riga and Stockholm, approximately 8 percent more than in 2003.
