New carrier to service four small island ferry routes
The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has selected a new operator through a public procurement process to provide ferry services for five years between Vormsi, Kihnu and Manilaid and the mainland, as well as between Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
The new contract for ferry routes between the mainland and Kihnu will run through September 30, 2032; the contract for the mainland-Vormsi route through October 14, 2032; and the contract for the Saaremaa-Hiiumaa route through October 31, 2032. Tuule Liinid OÜ, which currently operates the Ruhnu-Munalaid, Ruhnu-Pärnu and Ruhnu-Roomassaare ferry routes, was selected as the winning bidder in the public procurement process.
The current contract with Kihnu Veeteed AS for the Kihnu-Munalaid and Manilaid-Munalaid ferry routes expires September 30 next year, while the contract for the Rohuküla-Sviby route expires October 14 next year and the Sõru-Triigi route contract expires October 30 next year. The new operator will take over the routes after those contracts expire.
In addition to price, bids were evaluated based on the characteristics of the replacement ferry and other quality criteria. Tuule Liinid received the maximum number of points for factors including the replacement ferry's capacity and ice class, as well as for offering a paid internship position.
The total annual cost of Tuule Liinid's bid for all routes was broadly in line with current costs, at €7.4 million excluding value-added tax, the ministry said.
"Ferry connections to the small islands are provided by state-owned vessels. The main change under the new contract is that the new replacement vessel for the state-owned ferries will be better able to cope with adverse weather conditions, meaning it will also be capable of operating in ice and will therefore provide more reliable connections to the small islands," said Andres Ruubas, head of the Public Transport Department at the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture.
Compared with the current replacement ferry Reet, the new replacement vessel will be able to carry seven more passenger cars, for a total of 27. That is close to the capacity of the state-owned ferries Kihnu Virve, Ormsö and Soela, which can carry up to 32 passenger cars, he added.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Marcus Turovski
