Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Port, Transport

Tallinna Sadam will conclude contracts for building four new ferries with two shipyards.

"We started cooperation with Tallinna Sadam in July over adapting a suitable ferry type for local conditions, and selecting suitable shipyards," said LMG Marin's CEO Torbjørn Bringedal.

Time spent on the design of ships and the deadline for completion of the ships correspond to international practices in similar tender processes, said Bringedal.

"Based on the LMG Marin's long-term experience in designing and building ships, including with the shipyards selected by Tallinna Sadam, we are now in a suitable position timewise for concluding construction agreements, so that the ferries would be completed by deadline," said Bringedal.

The Estonian Ministry of Economy and Communications announced on Tuesday that the best bid at the procurement for operating the ferry service at the mainland-Saaremaa and mainland-Hiiumaa island routes was made by the state-owned port operator company AS Tallinna Sadam's (Port of Tallinn) subsidiaries OÜ TS Laevad and OÜ TS Shipping.

Tallinna Sadam said it will commission for the Saaremaa and Hiiumaa routes four new ferries by 1 October 2016, two for each line. Critics have voiced suspicions that the time remaining till the end of the contract period with current operator Väinamere Liinid OÜ is too short for the state-owned company to be able to build new ships.