Good sailing for ferry operators

TALLINN - The booking situation regarding the Baltic Sea shipping lines is even slightly better than last summer, when the passenger figures already verged on all-time records, reports Helsingin Sanomat. “The advance reservation situation is extremely good,” says Tallink Silja Deputy CEO Pasi Nakki.

Viking Line reports that from midsummer through to August, the cruises have already been sold out and there is a shortage of capacity. According to Tuomas Nylund, head of communications at Tallink Silja, however, there is nothing unusual about this. During peak season the ships are not usually short of passengers.
In the months of May and June, slightly more reservations have been made compared with a year ago, competitor Viking Line announced. What seems to be characteristic of this spring’s market is that the making of reservations is being left to the very last minute.

Viking Line is expected to place an order for two new car ferries.
Its main rival, Tallink, in turn, has already invested in new ships, even to the point that the debt burden is hurting the company’s cash flows. According to Nakki, there is now sufficient capacity to accommodate the passengers’ travel needs. Nakki recommends, however, that reservations are made well in advance. This way people can make sure that they get the departures that they want.

The ships are also being filled because of certain large events in Stockholm.
There are several shipping companies operating on the Baltic Sea. From Finland they transport passengers and cars to Estonia, Sweden, Germany, and Poland. Apart from the major lines Tallink Silja and Viking Line, also Eckero Line and Linda Line operate between Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn.
Finnlines, in turn, sails to Germany, Poland and Sweden. Tallink Silja, too, has a route to Germany, which has been more or less in hibernation during the winter months.

According to Nakki, the reservation situation looks good. The Icelandic volcanic ash clouds and the threat they still might pose to air traffic may partly be due to this. The attraction of taking the ferry to Tallinn is added to by the growing popularity among motorists of the Via Baltica route that leads from Tallinn to Poland via the Baltic States. The standard of the highway has improved year by year.

Nakki adds that more and more travelers are also taking their car to Tallinn. Extensive shopping centers have been built in and around the city and this has increased the number of shopping tourists from Finland.