Ticket sales for commuting has started – this is how safety is taken care of on ships

7. May 2020

Work related traffic and other necessary traffic between Finland and Estonia is allowed onwards from the 14th of May. Ticket sales to m/s Finlandia and m/s Finbo Cargo has started. Eckerö Line takes care of the safety of passengers and staff through many exceptional measures.

Passenger traffic on ships to Finland was suspended by the Finnish government on the 11th of April to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions have now been gradually lifted and, in accordance with the decision of the Finnish government, commuting and other necessary traffic to Finland can be resumed onwards from May the 14th.

“Opening up the necessary commuter traffic is a step towards the right direction in a safe return to normal traffic circumstances with our neighboring countries. We have opened our ticket sales on the 5th of May for both m/s Finlandia and m/s Finbo Cargo. For the time being, our vessels are operating on an exceptional schedule until the 18th of June,” says Taru Keronen, CEO of Eckerö Line.

For the time being, leisure travel is not recommended, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ travel instructions are being followed in this regard.

“We believe that the popularity of local tourism will increase the upcoming summer. We are expecting that we can transport our leisure customers safely in that case as well,” says Keronen.

“During the interruption in passenger traffic, we have served the Finnish grocery trade, the pharmaceutical industry and the manufacturing industry with regular cargo traffic on our two vessels,” she continues.

Eckerö Line ensures the safety of passengers and staff on ships and in terminals by taking the following measures:

• Enhanced cleaning practices and surface disinfection
• The screens on the ships digital displays reminds of the importance of hand washing. In addition, infographics on the same screens are reminding passengers about keeping a safe distance to other passengers and how to cough the right way in a sleeve
• Service points and checkouts on the ships have tapes on the floor to remind passengers of keeping a safe distance
• There are paper hand towels for drying hands in the toilets
• Hand sanitizers are available at service points
• The ships have face masks for sale to customers
• Customer service points and checkouts are protected against droplet infections
• Security announcements remind customers of the importance of keeping distance throughout the voyage and when the ship arrives in port
• Only card payments are accepted on board, cash cannot be used

Check out the ships traffic schedule: https://www.eckeroline.fi/aikataulu

Check the press release and instructions for the exceptional situation here: https://www.eckeroline.fi

More information:

Taru Keronen, managing director, Eckerö Line, Taru.Keronen@eckeroline.fi, tel. 050 66 209

Ida Toikka-Everi, head of marketing and communications, Eckerö Line,  ida.toikka-everi@eckeroline.fi tel. 0400 422 391

 

Eckerö Line Ab Oy, a member of the Rederi Ab Eckerö Group, is a Finnish shipping company that provides regularly scheduled travel and cargo services between Tallinn and Helsinki. Eckerö Line’s vessels m/s Finlandia and Finbo Cargo are the only vessels operating under the Finnish flag between Helsinki and Tallinn. Eckerö Line is also the only shipping company that has the right to use the Avainlippu logo, which signifies that the service has been produced in Finland and it creates Finnish jobs. The company offers ten departures a day and is also responsible for providing the earliest connection in the morning from Tallinn to Helsinki. Eckerö Line has more than 40 hotel partners in Estonia and Finland. Eckerö Line is responsible for a significant part of the freight transport between Helsinki and Tallinn. In 2019, Eckerö Line had approximately 1,890,000 passengers. For more information visit www.eckeroline.com