TALLINN
- Tallink, the largest shipping
company in the Baltics,
said it would contest an
order by a consumer watchdog to
ban smoking in bars and discos
on board its ships.
The shipper announced on Aug.
17 that it would appeal the decision
by the Estonian Consumer
Protection Board, which will have 10
days to respond to the company's
contest.
The Tallink Group argued that
even though it permits smoking in
bars and dance halls on its ships the
company was not in violation of the
Tobacco Act. Tallink claims that the
act allows ships to provide meeting
areas and premises that can be designated
as a smoking area and where
clients can take their alcoholic beverages.
The Consumer Protection Board
on Aug. 15 issued an injunction to
Tallink, giving the shipper time until
Aug. 17 to start implementing the
ban on smoking in its ship bars and
discotheques.
The injunction was issued after
an inspection on board Tallink's
ships had established that although
smoking in ship restaurants had
been banned, smoking areas were set
up in bars and in the disco, which the
board said was not permissible.
Anne Reinkort, acting head of
the board's market supervision
department, told the Baltic News
Service that the injunction required
Tallink to end violations of the
Tobacco Act and answer to the
Consumer Protection Board concerning
its adherence to the order.
"If Tallink promises to abide by
the order, a new check will be performed,"
Reinkort said.
The number of passengers handled
by the shipping group grew by
1.9 percent by the end of July to
934,063 passengers.
Growth in passenger
turnover was biggest between
Estonia and Finland and amounted
to 7.7 percent.
The company also announced
earlier this month that it was considering
expanding its hotel chain to
Finland and Sweden. Currently it
owns two hotels 's the Tallink City
Hotel downtown and the Tallink Spa
& Conference Hotel in the port area.
The latter is doing particularly well,
company officials said.
The group's hotel manager, former
Finance Minister Aivar Soerd,
said the chain was also considering
opening a hotel in Riga.
