Covid-19, Crisis, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Port, Transport

As a result of the decision made by the Finnish government on Monday to allow passenger transport to Finland on ferries again from May 14 for workers and people with unavoidable reasons for travel, Tallink Grupp is reopening ticket sales on Tuesday, May 5, for passengers wishing to travel to Finland. Ticket sales for passengers from Finland have remained open throughout the emergency situation period, the shipper said in a press release.

In this changed environment Tallink Grupp will also return its other shuttle vessel, Star, to the Tallinn-Helsinki route for peak weekend departures from Friday, May 15. 

During the month of May, Star will operate according to the following schedule only: departing from Helsinki to Tallinn at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and from Tallinn to Helsinki at 4:30 p.m. on May 15, 20 and 29 and departing from Tallinn to Helsinki at 4:30 p.m. on May 17, 24 and 31. Megastar will continue to operate on the Tallinn-Helsinki route according to its normal schedule.  

Passenger transport on ferries to Finland was suspended on April 11 at the request of the Finnish government in order to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As the pandemic situation has improved, the Finnish government adopted a decision at Monday's Cabinet meeting to restore passenger traffic with ferries to Finland for the Schengen area citizens who need to travel to Finland for work reasons or for other unavoidable reasons.

Border control on the Finnish borders will remain in place also after May 14 until further notice from the Finnish government and the Finnish authorities will work out and publicize information regarding the detailed rules and guidance for border crossing from May 14 onward in the next few days.

Travel for tourism purposes to Finland is currently still not permitted and decisions regarding allowing travel to Finland for tourism will be made by the Finnish government in due course as the pandemic situation improves further. People travelling to Finland must still follow the strict hygiene and health rules and restrictions. 

"We welcome the Finnish government’s decision, which will allow many Estonians working in Finland to return to work or to their families from next week. It is clear that as the virus situation improves, we must start moving towards restarting our economies and our work lives, and in today’s world, where our economies are so intertwined with those of our neighboring countries, it is important to gradually remove restrictions on free movement to restart our economies," Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp, said. 

According to Nogene, the group’s vessels are ready and prepared for the gradual and safe return of services and the company has been working closely with the authorities over the last few weeks already to achieve this. 

"Many of the safety measures were already in place on our vessels still in operation before the crisis escalated and in the near future we will continue to enhance and introduce even more measures according to our agreements with the authorities and our partners. It is clear that the numbers of passengers will not be the same as they were before the crisis and not all our vessels will return to all the routes straight away. The Finnish government's decision is a small step forward and here at Tallink we will of course synchronize our steps with those of our governments," Nogene added. 

From Tuesday, passengers who need to travel to Finland for work or for other unavoidable reasons can purchase tickets to Finland for Tallink Grupp’s vessels Megastar, Star, Baltic Princess and Galaxy for departures starting from May 14. Tickets for departures travelling out of Finland can be purchased for all the current departures as previously. 

Disinfectant stations are in place on board vessels and in terminals in order to follow strict hygiene rules. More thorough and frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces on board vessels and in terminals is taking place. All passenger vessels will only take a maximum of half of the total vessel capacity on board for any departure to ensure enough space is provided on board to keep passengers two meters apart from each other. In order to disperse passengers on board and in terminals and galleries, distance markers will be created on the floors and signage put on the walls. In ship shops and catering areas, maximum capacity levels have been established and will be followed. In catering areas, including kitchens, restaurants, cafes, and so on, personnel will wear face masks during the initial period of restoration of services.