New ferries bought from Turkey to arrive on time in Tallinn

According to TS Laevad, the subsidiary of the state-owned Port of Tallinn that is to take over operation of ferry traffic between Estonia's large western islands and the mainland in the fall, the two new ferries bought from the Sefine shipyard in Turkey will start operating on the route by the deadline of Oct. 1.CEO of TS Laevad, Kaido Padar, told LETA/BNS that there is no reason to panic and it is false information that the ships will not make it on time

According to Padar he has always said that the first ship will depart from Turkey at the beginning of July, adding that the ships need to arrive in Estonia by the middle of September.

Jaanus Karilaid, a Center Party MP, said on Thursday that the first ship was supposed to arrive in Estonia by the beginning of July.

Padar did not want to name the exact date when the ferry will arrive in Estonia.

The Port of Tallinn subsidiary OU TS Laevad won the tender for a ten-year contract to operate subsidized ferries on the main island routes from Oct. 1, 2016 onwards. It has signed contracts for the construction of four brand new ferries with the Turkish shipbuilder Sefine Shipyard and the Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding that are building two ferries for TS Laevad each at their respective shipyards in Altinova/Yalova, Turkey, and Gdansk, Poland.

The 114 meters long vessels will accommodate 150 passenger cars or 12 road trains and have passenger places equipped with safety devices for 700 passengers. The new ferries are designed by the Norwegian company LMG Marin.

(Source: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/good_for_business/?doc=122823)

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