RIGA - Latvians' long-held wish of having a regular ferry to the Estonian island of Saaremaa may soon become a reality if the owner of an island port has his way, local papers reported.
A delegation from the Roja region in northwestern Latvia on the Gulf of Riga visited Saaremaa last week to hold talks on developing a recreation area project that includes a boat link between the town of Roja and the Estonian island.
The Latvian delegation discussed the details of a shipping line between Montu and Roja that will reportedly be launched later this year on the initiative of Saarte Liinid, a company based in Roomassaare, and Mikhel Undrest, owner of the port in Montu.
Undrest said he would launch a boat service from Montu to either Ventspils or Roja. "Both alternatives are possible, but I'm definitely putting the boat line into operation this year," he promised.
A Danish-financed boat service between Riga and the Saaremaa port of Roomassaare fell through three years ago. Currently the trip from Roja or Ventspils to Saaremaa takes some eight hours by car, and project developers believe that if they can launch a ferry line over the 70 kilometers that separate the two places they could reap a boom in pent-up tourist demand for Latvians interested in taking in the picturesque landscape of Saaremaa.
"Every year we hold talks with the Estonians and gradually we approach the desired target. The development of the two regions requires a direct sea routes," Janis Zoluds, chairman of the Roja regional council, told the Biznes & Baltija daily.
Undrest said that Saarte Liinid did not have a ship yet but that a tender for purchasing one had been announced.
"The first trip will be launched sometime in June," he told Biznes & Baltija, adding that the vessel will be able to hold about 100 passengers and 20 cars.
However, both sides admitted that the project would not be feasible without state support. As Zoluds explained, "If the project is realized, the Transport ministries of both countries will have to subsidize it. During the first months it will need about $60,000 from each side."
(BNS)
