Ferry cancellations and delays, and even some of Estonia's islands being to all intents and purposes cut off this winter due to sea ice 70-80 cm thick in places, has prompted island residents to call for the newly procured ferry to be able to meet these conditions.

While sea ice like that seen this winter is an exceptional occurrence, of the four current ferries in service, one of them is 55 years old – it was this ship in particular which struggled with serving the major islands, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.

With that in mind, residents have been concerned that the fifth ferry, to be procured for service with TS Laevad, which serves the islands, will have a lower ice class as well as half the passenger capacity than existing ships.

Not only the public, but also Tallinna Sadam, TS Laevad's parent company, has expressed concerns about the procurement terms not being enough for a harsh winter.

"The ice class should be more powerful there, and the main engines could also be somewhat more powerful. These are two very, very important remarks that we have pointed out," said Valdo Kalm, Tallinna Sadam board chair.

The current fleet is rated 1A for ice, meaning they can handle ice up to 80 centimeters thick – though as this winter has shown, even these vessels encounter difficulties in the current ice conditions.

The procurement terms put the planned fifth ferry at an ice class rating of 1B. "The 1B ice class planned for the ship is capable of passing through up to 60 centimeters of ice," said Kristjan Truu, deputy secretary general at the Ministry of Climate.

Nonetheless, Hannes Ojangu, director of the development service at the state fleet (Riigilaevastik), said the parameters of the procurement were "optimal," including passenger capacity. "There is no point increasing capacity to 700 people when only during peak times or major events on the islands are seats close to fully occupied," he said.

The existing vessels can accommodate 650 passengers and 150 vehicles. The new ferry will carry 300 passengers and 110 vehicles.

The newly procured ferry will also be electric and so will require charging in port.
According to Regional Affairs Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200), it is important that the service does not deteriorate: In any case, a new ship will be a welcome boon, he said.

"If we compare this with the more than 50-year-old Regula, which often has a couple of extra years added through repairs, then a new ferry will certainly bring relief," Terras said.

The current procurement has replaced one which failed last summer, as all quoted prices came in too high.

The new procurement is worth €42 million and is due to see final price offers submitted mid-March.

Sea ice conditions this winter were the harshest seen in over a decade. The problem was exacerbated by low water levels after the very high pressure zone which brought January and early February's low temperatures actually forced Baltic Sea water down and out into the North Sea.

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