Tallink to reopen Tallinn-Stockholm ferry route in July

TALLINN - Listed Estonian shipper Tallink Grupp announced on Tuesday that the company is to re-open the Tallinn-Stockholm ferry route on July 9 after nearly 16 months of suspension of the route due to travel restrictions between Estonia and Sweden.

The route will initially be operated with one vessel, Baltic Queen, with departures from Tallinn and Stockholm every other day, the shipper said.

Although the route will re-open to the public on Friday, July 9, the company will operate a special cruise to Stockholm also on July 7, where Tallink's cooperation partners and employees will have the first opportunity to sail again on the route.

Commenting on the re-opening of the route, Tallink Grupp's CEO Paavo Nogene said:

"When we temporarily suspended the Tallinn-Stockholm ferry route on March 14, 2020, severing the crucial regular maritime connection between our two capitals for the first time in decades, we never thought it would take us nearly a year and a half to restore this connection. We have done what we could during this time, enabling passengers with cars to travel to Sweden using our cargo vessels on the Paldiski-Kapellskar route, temporarily operating a Tallinn-Stockholm-Riga triangle route with our cruise ferry Victoria I and giving customers the option to travel to Sweden via Finland, where and when possible."

"As we slowly start coming out of the restrictions and will see how the pandemic situation develops in the coming months, we are re-starting the operations gradually, initially offering departures from Tallinn and Stockholm every other day with one vessel on the route. Our vessels continue to provide sufficient opportunities for social distancing on board and we will continue with the extremely strict hygiene and disinfecting procedures on board," Nogene added.

Re-opening the route will once again also give people working in Scandinavia the option of traveling to work with their cars. For now, Tallink will also continue to take passengers with vehicles on board its cargo vessels Sailor and Regal Star, operating between Paldiski and Kapellskar, the shipper said.

Before booking a trip, passengers are advised to check that they have the right to enter the country at their destination port and that they have all the necessary documentation required to enter the country.