TS Laevad

TS Laevad OÜ
Industry	Maritime transportation
Founded	19 June 2014
Headquarters	Tallinn , Estonia
Area served	West Estonian archipelago
Key people	Indrek Randveer (CEO)
Net income	€34.78 million (2022)
Parent	Port of Tallinn
Website	Official website

Last updated April 14, 2024

TS Laevad ("TS Ships") is an Estonian ferry company which operates two routes between the Estonian mainland and the islands of Hiiumaa and Muhu in the Baltic Sea. Muhu is connected by a causeway to Estonia's largest island, Saaremaa.^[2]

Routes

Two routes across the Väinameri are operated by TS Laevad.


Route	Destination island	Crossing time	Departures (summer)
Rohuküla–Heltermaa	Hiiumaa	1 hr 15 mins	1½ hour interval
Virtsu–Kuivastu	Muhu for Saaremaa	25 mins	35 min interval

History

Contract period 2016–2026

TS Laevad replaced the previous operator, SLK , on 1 October 2016^[6] after submitting a public procurement bid 64 million euros less than its predecessor.^[7] It was originally contracted to operate the routes until 30 September 2026.^[8]

As none of TS Laevad's new ferries were delivered in time for the start of the company's contract, three vessels from Vjatšeslav Leedo's Saaremaa Shipping Company (SLK) were chartered as an interim solution. The Sefine Shipyard in Turkey and the Remontowa shipyard in Poland paid TS Laevad a total of nearly €11 million in late fees.^[9] All four new ferries were in service by the end of April 2017.^[10]

In 2019 the ferry Tõll had batteries installed which were expected to reduce the vessel's diesel consumption by 20%. It thus became the first hybrid passenger vessel in Estonia.^[11]

In 2022, the company's ferries carried a total of 2.3 million passengers and 1.1 million vehicles. 72 percent of total passengers sailed on the Saaremaa route, with the remainder on the Hiiumaa route. The busiest month was July, with 394,000 passengers. The least busy month was February, with 96,000 passengers.^[12]

All five ferries have an onboard shop operated by R-Kiosk Estonia AS. In addition, the four larger ferries have a "Take Off" restaurant operated by Baltic Restaurants Estonia AS.^[13]

Contract period 2026–2033

In April 2024, TS Laevad won a public tender to operate the Saaremaa and Hiiumaa routes from 1 October 2026 until September 2033.^[14] The company was the only bidder in the tender.^[15] The Ministry of Regional Affairs stated its intention to introduce new environmentally friendly vessels on the routes from 2033.^[16]

Incidents and disruptions to service

On 28 July 2017, the ferry Tiiu struck the seabed twice and sustained hull damage en route from Rohuküla to Heltermaa. The incident was caused by a controls failure on autopilot. While Tiiu underwent repairs at Turku Repair Yard in Finland she was replaced by the chartered Hiiumaa for a period of six weeks.^[17]

In the spring of 2018 ferry services to Hiiumaa were periodically suspended due to low water levels in the Väinameri. The minister responsible, Kadri Simson, blamed the cancellations on inadequate dredging in the Rukki Channel, through which ferries pass between Rohuküla and Heltermaa.^[18]

From mid-March to early May in 2020, TS Laevad reduced the frequency of its services due to the coronavirus pandemic. Travel to the islands was restricted to residents and the number of passengers reduced by 92 percent compared to the previous year.^[19]

On 22 July 2021 Tõll collided with the berth at Kuivastu Harbour causing damage to the berth, the ferry and some vehicles on board including that of Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid.^[20] Tõll was out of service for over two weeks during the peak summer season causing queues of up to two hours. The company stated that the collision was caused by a technical failure resulting in a loss of engine power as the ferry approached the berth.^[21]^[22]

Future developments

The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs is assessing the option of building a bridge or tunnel connection between the mainland and Muhu across the Suur Strait. It is expected to be determined by 2026 whether a bridge, tunnel or continued ferry operation will be the preferred option.^[8]^[23]

Ferries of TS Laevad

Ferry	Usual route	In service	Shipyard	Home port	Capacity	Propulsion
MS Leiger	Rohuküla–Heltermaa (Hiiumaa route)	2016–	Sefine shipyard, Turkey	Heltermaa	700 passengers, 150 cars	Diesel
MS Piret	Virtsu–Kuivastu (Saaremaa route)	2017–	Remontowa shipyard, Poland	Kuivastu	700 passengers, 150 cars	Diesel
MS Tiiu	Rohuküla–Heltermaa (Hiiumaa route)	2017–	Sefine shipyard, Turkey	Heltermaa	700 passengers, 150 cars	Diesel
MS Tõll	Virtsu–Kuivastu (Saaremaa route)	2017–	Remontowa shipyard, Poland	Kuivastu	700 passengers, 150 cars	Hybrid Electric/diesel
MS Regula	Reserve ferry	2016–	Meyer Werft, Germany	Roomassaare	400 passengers, 105 cars	Diesel
New ferry^[24]	Virtsu–Kuivastu (Saaremaa route)	2026?	Tender announced in December 2023	?	700 passengers, 200 cars	Electric Hydrogen Diesel

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Saaremaa is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km² (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435. The main island of the West Estonian archipelago, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare County, is the town of Kuressaare, which in January 2018 had 13,276 inhabitants.

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Väinatamm is the name of the largest causeway in Estonia on the Estonian national road 10. The causeway, opened in 1896, connects the island of Muhu, located between Saaremaa and the mainland, with Saaremaa. Construction of the causeway cut the sea crossing between the continent and Saaremaa by about half, and transit time even further. In 1917, the causeway was the site of heavy fighting during Operation Albion, as German bicycle troops attempted to cut off and encircle retreating Russian forces, while securing the route to Muhu.

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References

External links

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[1] Dun & Bradstreet credit reports. TS Laevad OÜ.

[praamid-2] Praamid.ee. (Official website of TS Laevad OÜ).

[portoftallinn-3] Port of Tallinn. The subsidiary company of Port of Tallinn, TS Laevad OÜ, has published a call for tenders to purchase ferries.

[err1-4] ERR News. Ministry plans to buy up majority of island ferries.

[ERR2-5] ERR News. New ferry slated to serve major islands in 2026.

[6] ERR News. Saaremaa Shipping Company to cover for overdue TS Laevad ferries in €5.5m delay.

[7] ERR News. Supreme Court rejects domestic ferry service procurement complaint.

[ERR-8] 1 2 ERR News. Economic affairs minister applies for long-term island bridge link plan.

[9] Postimees News. Late delivery leaves ferry operator in the black.

[10] ERR News. Fourth and final new ferry to enter island service on Friday.

[11] Offshore Energy. Estonia’s first hybrid ferry starts service.

[12] Praamid.ee. TS Laevade aasta 2022.

[13] Praamid.ee. Possibilities onboard.

[14] ERR News. TS Laevad awarded larger islands ferry connection tender to 2033.

[15] ERR News. Just one bid entered for Western Estonian islands' ferry link tender.

[16] ERR News. Call launched to find ferry operators for Estonia's main island routes.

[17] Insurance Marine News. Marine accident round-up : 4th August 2017.

[18] ERR News. Hiiumaa ferry woes continue, Simson points finger at Michal.

[19] Praamid.ee Uudised. TS Laevade 2020 kokkuvõte – olulisimad teod ja saavutused.

[20] ERR News. Ferry hits berth at Kuivastu Harbor.

[21] ERR Uudised. TS Laevad: Tõllul ei olnud jõudu pidurdamiseks, laevajuht tegi kõik õigesti.

[22] Baltic Times. TS Laevad carries record number of 102,851 passengers last week.

[23] Postimees Majandus. Sild, tunnel või parvlaevad – selgus Suure väina püsiühenduse osas saabub 2026. aastaks.

[24] ERR Uudised. Riik otsib uue parvlaeva ehitajat.

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