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Saaremaa flight procurement in final phase

The last of the repeated procurements organized to find a service provider for the Kuressaare-Tallinn route is in the final phase, but the Road Administration is keeping the details quiet.

The procurement of the Kuressaare-Tallinn route, which ended at the beginning of June, is undergoing the final stage, where the verification of compliance with the bases for elimination and qualification conditions will be performed, a representative of the Road Administration told ERR on Tuesday.

The Road Administration did not agree to answer questions about whether or not it will be able to to find a route operator in this case or how many offers were received which met the criteria. The representative of the Road Administration also did not dare to say when additional information could be expected.

Five tenders were received by the deadline for the procurement of the Kuressaare-Tallinn route, which were submitted by Transaviabaltika, Regional Jet, the cargo airline NyxAir, Diamond Sky operating the Ruhnu route and the Latvian cargo operating company RAF-AVIA.

The most important criteria were that the aircraft could carry at least 40 passengers and be [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[23]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] older than 20 years.

Allikas: ERR

Saaremaa-Ventspils ferry line looking to relaunch

After a 10 year break, discussions are underway to relaunch the Saaremaa ferry line to Ventspils in Latvia which closed in 2008 due to low demand. While a new operator for the line was not found last year, Saaremaa has not given up hope.

The line was terminated more than ten years ago, but the service has been missed in both countries. It was active during 2005-2008 and used by about 60,000 passengers.

"This year, it's not only a memory. For some, it is a very current topic today. There are tourists, especially foreign tourists of course, that come to the tourist info center and ask when is the next ship going? We get these requests every summer and I think every week, we have a couple," tourist specialist Kristina Mägi said.

In 2008 there were too few passengers to keep the service alive and it was closed down.

The former chief executive of Saaremaa's Shipping Company Tõnis Rihvk said at the time, it was clear that it was not feasible to keep it as a commercially viable line. "Then we were backed by the Ventspils freeport and the city of Ventspils. And what was missing, was that small thing, that today the municipality is ready to offer. I believe that when they figure out the finances, the rest will be only a technical question," Rihvk told.

Today Saaremaa Municipality is ready to give the need amount of funding. Also, the Ventspils freeport which at the time supported the line is interested in reopening it. Even though a new operator for the Saaremaa-Latvia line wasn't found last year, Saaremaa hasn't given up yet and is still trying.

Saaremaa's assistant governor Kristiina Maripuu said the main issue has been the fact that there hasn't been a suitable ship.

"I don't think that it's reasonable to repeat the procurement that fell through last year but to create a bigger picture. But the fact that the interest has remained and the wish is there and that there is a practice from ten years ago shows it is possible. So, when we speak about the next season, for example, it would be ideal."

Estonia's islands increasingly popular among Latvian tourists

Tourist trips to Estonia organized by Latvian travel agencies are increasingly gaining popularity, and among the most popular destinations are Estonia's western islands. Representatives of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa's tourism sectors met with Latvian travel agents at the Estonian Embassy in Riga on Thursday to discuss this tourism. "Hiiumaa residents are quick to find their way to Latvia, but Latvians not so quick to find their way to Hiiumaa," said Hiiumaa Development Center tourism expert Anne-Ly Torstensson. "In recent years, however, there has been a clear growth trend in Hiiumaa's direction on the Latvians' part, and it is clear that travel styles are changing as well." While previously, visitors often came to Hiiumaa to hike and tent, now they are coming with groups of friends and family, staying in hotels, spending more time and looking for interesting activities available on the island, Torstensson said. As Latvia has no islands of its own, many Latvian visitors are interested in visiting several islands at once, and not just Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, but also the smaller islands surrounding them. Constantly being discussed is a ferry connection between Ventspils and Saaremaa, but this has not developed anywhere, admitted Estonian Ambassador to Latvia Arti Hilpus. Nonetheless, this does not affect trips originating in Riga. Kati Aus, a tourism specialist with Visit Saaremaa, said that there should still be a Ventspils ferry. "Even people from Germany are requesting it," Aus said. "It existed once — I think it concluded some ten years ago — but to this day, people ask about it at the Saaremaa Tourist Information Center." Latvian travel agencies offer trips to dozens of Estonian destinations.

Saaremaa to Stockholm route starts flying in May

From May, seasonal flights will be launched between Saaremaa and Stockholm twice a week.

The deal has been struck between Saaremaa Municipality Government and the Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) and will see a 72-seater ATR 72-600 depart two times a week from Kuressaare to Stockholm Bromma Airport.

Flights will be operated on Mondays and Fridays from May until September 18 for the next three years.

Madis Kallas, the mayor of Saaremaa, said transport connections are extremely important for Saaremaa and that in addition to good ferry traffic to mainland Estonia, air connections are very important both for islanders and visitors.

"The international route opens up new opportunities for islanders and now it is possible to travel directly from Kuressaare to the center of Stockholm in less than an hour. Saaremaa is now open to millions of Swedes who have so far not visited our island and have chosen other destinations due to the lack of easy transport connections," he said.

Kallas said the new route will create better conditions for other business sectors and the international connection will bring Saaremaa to different destinations around the world. "We will certainly continue to work towards increasing the number of weekly flights and the length of the flight period in the coming years," he added.

Kallas said that new connections have also been sought in Sweden, Finland and Latvia.

The airline's commercial director, Ulrika Matsgard, also welcomed the new route. "Saaremaa is a very pleasant destination with many opportunities to spend summer days with different activities and spa treatments," she said.

Given the financial implications of launching the route, in December last year the Saaremaa Rural Municipality Council agreed to contribute up to €180,000 over three years from the municipal budget.

The need for an international route is reflected in the Saaremaa Municipality Development Plan for Business Environment and Innovation.

Source: ERR

Estonian-Dutch offshore Saaremaa wind farm may go ahead

Plans for a 100-turbine offshore wind farm off the southwestern coast of the island of Saaremaa look set to move forward after initial doubts, with cooperation in the €1.7 billion project coming from a Dutch company, Van Oord. National security issues had jeopardized the project last year and led to a government decision that construction permits would not be forthcoming, but the company behind it, Saare Wind Energy, has signed a deal with Dutch marine construction company Van Oord, meaning it is likely to continue. Saare Wind Energy had also appealed the permit decision, ERR's online news in Estonian reports. The original Saare Wind Energy plan envisaged a wind farm of 100 six-megawatt turbines, 10 to 27 kilometers offshore, as well as an offshore substation, an onshore connection to the electricity grid, and connecting cables between the two units. The original Saare Wind Energy plan envisaged a wind farm of 100 six-megawatt turbines, 10 to 27 kilometers offshore, as well as an offshore substation, an onshore connection to the electricity grid, and connecting cables between the two units. The turbines would be placed 800 to 1,100 meters apart, with their final precise location to be specified during the environmental impact assessment. The company had planned to use Siemens electric wind turbines, which can generate electricity at wind speeds of 3 to 25 meters per second. Wind speeds off Estonia's west coast commonly fall into this range. The turbine towers were set at just over 100 meters in height, at a maximum of 180 meters including turbine blades. The base area of each turbine was estimated at up to 500 square meters, with foundations up to a depth of 20-35 meters. The wind farm's annual electricity output was projected at 2,800 gigawatt hours, which would represent 28.8 percent of Estonia's total electricity production as of, 2018 or 170 percent of the country's renewable energy output for the same year. Suggested locations on the mainland for the submarine connecting cables were Häädemeeste, Pärnu County, and Virtsu, Lääne County. The final location of the wind turbines and the offshore cable route corridor will be determined on the basis of the results of studies, including an environmental impact assessment, of the proposed offshore wind farm and of the offshore cable line, landings and ground facilities. Saare Wind Energy is owned by businessmen Veiko Väli with a 66.7 percent stake, and Kuido Kartau with the remaining 33.3 percent. Van Oord is a Dutch-based international marine construction company, which reported a €92 million profit for 2018 and a turnover of €1.88 billion. Other projects it has been involved with include the Palm Islands archipelago off the coast of Dubai, The cooperation agreement between Van Oord and Saare Wind Energy was aided by the Estonian Investment Agency, a part of Enterprise Estonia. Source: ERR

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