SSG No 10 - Shipgaz

SHIPPING AND SHIP MANAGEMENT
The Estonian Shipowners Association is trying to explain their point of view to the politicians
around the round table.
SuperSeaCat ferries, Sea Containers
detached them under the SuperSeaCat
trademark from the Silja reservations and
sales network and created its own reservations
system for the Tallinn–Helsinki line.
Thus, all six previous passenger vessel
companies are still present on the
Tallinn–Helsinki line. Tallink added the
Helsinki–Tallinn travel direction for the
Superfast ferries, opening direct access
from Tallinn to the Rostock–Helsinki line.
Linda Line purchased the Merilin catamaran
(ex Cat No 1, built in 1999) to replace
the Laura hydrofoil ferry (built in 1993).
The Baltic Scandinavian Lines is planning
to acquire a second ro-pax ship for
the Paldiski–Kapellskär line, having rented
the Gute under the Swedish flag as a temporary
solution. The Saaremaa Shipping
Company is considering opening another
international line in addition to the Sillamäe–Kotka
and Mõntu–Ventspils lines.
Uniting structures and cultures
Tallink’s purchase of Silja resulted in the
need to unite the parallel structures of the
two shipping companies in three countries.
Yet, its ships operate under four different
flags and the crews are employed in accordance
with the laws of four different countries.
This has motivated the Finnish,
Swedish and Estonian seafarers’ trade
unions to establish the European Work
Council at the company to ensure that all
employees have access to information and
consultations.
Other shipping companies operate
abroad, too. PKL has had a branch in Latvia
for five years and the company asserts that it
is the leading tugboat service provider in
Riga. Two of the five tugboats are only 3–4
years old. The company has also two tugs in
St Petersburg. NT Marine that began
bunkering in St Petersburg in 1999 also considers
itself to be one of the strongest service
providers there. Two of the company’s four
ships operate from St Petersburg. The Saaremaa
Shipping Company’s foreign lines have
resulted in the restoration of the passenger
terminal in Kotka and a few new passenger
terminals have even been constructed in
some ports that did not previously have passenger
traffic.
madli vitismann
48 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • MAY 21, 2007
MADLI VITISMANN