Tallink
Tallink is an Estonian Shipping company currently operating car and passenger ferries from Estonia to Finland and Sweden as well as speed boats between Helsinki and Tallinn. A ferry line between Riga, Latvia and Stockholm, Sweden will be opening in 2006.
History
Tallink's history begins in the 1980s when Estonia was a part of the Soviet Union. Estonian Shipping Company (ESCO) had operated the route Tallinn - Helsinki with M/S Georg Ots since 1980. In 1989 ESCO bought the M/S Scandinavian Sky and founded a new company, the company as well as the new ship being named Tallink. In the mid 1990s, Tallink acquired many used ships, primarily from Estline (which stopped sailing completely in 2000 and grew to become the largest Estonian passenger shipping company.In 1997, Tallink set up their first route to Sweden with the RORO cargo ship M/S Kapella sailing between Kapellskär in Sweden and Paldiski in Estonia.
In 1999, Tallink purchased its first AutoExpress Catamaran for the Tallinn-Helsinki line. Today, there are four catamarans on this line.
In 2002, the modern cruise ferry M/S Romantika was delivered from the Aker Finnyards and started operating between Tallinn and Helsinki. Two years later her sister ship M/S Victoria I was delivered and put on the Tallinn - Stockholm route.
In 2004, Tallink ordered a new 212 meter long vessel from Aker Finnyards. This vessel will be delivered to Tallink in 2006 and will be the fleet's biggest ship.
In 2005, Tallink order an additional ferry from Aker Finnyards and one from the Fincantieri yard in Italy. Tallink also announced plans to start operating a line connecting Riga and Stockholm as of spring 2006.
Fleet
Current Fleet
- M/S AutoExpress One, Helsinki - Tallinn
- M/S AutoExpress Two, Helsinki - Tallinn
- M/S AutoExpress Three, Helsinki - Tallinn
- M/S AutoExpress Four, Helsinki - Tallinn
- M/S Fantaasia - temporarily rented to Algerie Ferries
- M/S Kapella, Tallinn - Helsinki (freight)
- M/S Meloodia, Tallinn - Helsinki
- M/S Romantika, Tallinn - Helsinki
- M/S Regal Star, Paldiski - Kappelskär (freight)
- M/S Regina Baltica, Tallinn - Stockholm
- M/S Vana Tallinn, Paldiski - Kappelskär
- M/S Victoria I, Tallinn - Stockholm
Former Vessels
- M/S Ambassador II - now owned by International Shipping Partners
- M/S Baltic Kristina - now owned by Rigas Juras Linija, on line between Riga and Stockholm
- M/S Corbiere, now M/S Apollo, owned by Labrador Marine Inc, on line between St. Barbe and Blanc Sablon
- M/S Georg Ots - now owned by the government of Russia, on line between St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad
- M/S Normandy - now owned by Irish Continental Group, on line between Rosslare and Cherbourg/Roscoff
- M/S Saint Patrick II - now M/S C.T.M.A. Vacancier, owned by the goverment of Canada, on line between Montreal and Cap-aux-Meules
- M/S Tallink - now M/S El Safa, owned by Yakima Navigation
- M/S Transestonia, now M/S Trans, owned by Sigma Marine