Baltic cruise and ferry operator AS Tallink Grupp (Tallink Group) has announced that all 14 of its ships have resumed sailings.

The company’s entire fleet returned to the Baltic Sea on Wednesday (15 July), the first day of operational unison since the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in March.

Approximately 20,000 guests are being carried on various regular and temporary routes in the region, including Tallinn-Helsinki, Stockholm-Riga (commuter traffic only), Stockholm-Visby, Tallinn-Turku, Turku-Åland, Turku-Stockholm and Helsinki-Riga.

As recently as May when the company issued its first-quarter results, a mere five of its 14 ships were in operation.

At the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, half of those were running itineraries on a limited basis and for several months only, mainly to support cargo transportation between Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Latvia.

NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL YET

Paavo Nõgene, CEO, Tallink Grupp said: “The last four months have been a challenge for everyone, but we said we will cruise again in the spring and today we can say that this day has come. True, we are not anywhere near returning to our normal operations yet, but at least all our ships are where they belong again – back on the sea and not suspended in ports.

“Currently not all our vessels have daily departures and we foresee that there will be also periods during this autumn season when certain ships are not operating. However, our activities are based on the developments of the epidemiological situation in various countries and we are adapting accordingly.

“I am pleased that we are able to offer our services and memorable experiences to our loyal customers again after this challenging time and we thank them all for their continued support and belief in us.

“But I am even more pleased for everyone at Tallink Grupp. Everyone has worked extremely hard, fast and flexibly over the last four months to keep the business going, to find solutions and help our customers. I am extremely proud of every single colleague here at Tallink Grupp and thankful to all of them and their families for so much commitment and dedication. We are cruising again.”

Tallink affirmed recently that previously disclosed plans to expand its retail influence in other travel retail channels such as airports are not off the table, but currently the focus remains on restoring core business services.

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