Tallink’s M / S Isabelle ship will accommodate Ukrainian refugees – opening of Riga-Stockholm route postponed

Text Timo Huttunen
Photo AS Tallink Grupp

Tallink was scheduled to reopen its Riga-Stockholm route on April 6, 2022. However, this has been postponed. Tallink’s M / S Isabelle ship, which was earmarked for the route, will now be used to house Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.

The reopening of the route was postponed due to, among other things, small booking volumes and rising fuel prices. According to Tallink, in the current situation, it is not possible to operate the Riga-Stockholm route profitably. Therefore, Tallink and the Estonian state signed an agreement to accommodate Ukrainian refugees on the ship M / S Isabelle. The contract will initially last for four months. Leasing the vessel to the state means that Tallink will not start operating on the Riga-Stockholm route in 2022 as planned.

The government will begin accommodating refugees on the M / S Isabelle from April 7. The ship, which will remain docked, can accommodate 2,100 people.

“We were fully prepared to open the Riga-Stockholm route on April 6 after a two-year hiatus. The dry-docking planned for the beginning of the year was carried out for Isabelle, and the ship was ready to start operating. However, due to the war in Ukraine that began at the end of February, we had to re-evaluate our plans and make a new decision,” explained Paavo Nõgene, President and CEO of Tallink Group.

“Leasing M / S Isabelle was not an easy decision for us. Tallink has been building the Riga-Stockholm route for 16 years. The route has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and now the war in Ukraine for several years. Today’s decision to lease the boat for refugee accommodation has been a difficult one,” Nõgene added.

“On the other hand, leasing a ship means that we will be able to provide our support to Ukrainian refugees by providing much-needed accommodation and employment opportunities, which we also strive to provide to the best of our ability. The agreement also means that we will not be able to open the Riga-Stockholm route as planned in 2022. However, we are not giving up the route completely, but it is still impossible to estimate when the route will be opened,” Nõgene concluded.

To learn more about this and similar topics
M / S Isabelle Paavo Nõgene Refugee Accommodation Riga-Stockholm Tallink Tallinn Ukraine War Ukrainian Refugees