Tallink Grupp has extended the charter contract for the ocean ferry “Galaxy I” for a further year.
The vessel has been chartered to the Dutch company Slaapschepen Public since September 2022, which operates it for the Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers (COA), the Dutch agency for the reception of asylum seekers, as a temporary accommodation vessel for asylum seekers in the Coenhaven in Amsterdam.
The charter contract will then be extended for a further year from October 2024, with the option of adding another 6+6 months.
“We are pleased to be able to extend this charter agreement for our ship and thus contribute to the provision of important accommodation facilities on board the ship and thus support the Dutch authorities. The provision of accommodation in Amsterdam has gone very smoothly in recent years, largely due to our good cooperation with the charter partners and the representatives of the local authorities. Our team will continue to do its best to maintain an excellent level of service and professional cooperation,” said Paavo Nõgene, CEO of the Estonian Tallink Grupp.
“Galaxy I” can carry up to 2,800 passengers
Tallink Silja’s “Galaxy I”, built in 2005 by STX Finland, now Meyer Turku, has been chartered out to the Netherlands together with its technical crew. The ship has 1,000 cabins to accommodate up to 2,800 passengers on ferry services.
In addition to the “Galaxy I”, Tallink Grupp has also chartered out the 202 m long ferry “Silja Europa”, which was built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, to the Netherlands until the end of 2024. This ferry, which was the largest in the world when it was delivered in 1993, has 1,150 cabins for up to 3,750 passengers permitted on the ferry service and also offers accommodation for asylum seekers in the Merwehaven in Rotterdam. The charter agreement, which currently runs until the end of 2024, includes an option to review the deployment every six months.
Tallink Silja GmbH is a subsidiary of AS Tallink Grupp. AS Tallink Grupp is the leading passenger and freight transportation service provider in the northern Baltic Sea region. The company owns 14 ships and operates on many different routes under the Tallink Silja Line brand. In total, the company employs almost 5,000 people in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany. The company is listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange. (CE)
