All bids for Estonia's fifth major islands ferry too expensive
Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE) has ordered the launch of a new procurement process to find a fifth ferry and to cancel the tender announced in October, as it exceeds the allocated budget, the Ministry of Climate announced.
At the beginning of January, the international public procurement competition announced by the State Fleet to find a builder for the fifth ferry for the Väinamere fleet came to an end, with four companies submitting bids.
The bids were submitted by the Polish shipbuilding company Crist, the Netherlands-based Damen, the Turkish-owned Norwegian company Havyard and Nso, a company owned by Saaremaa native Sander Pere, local paper Saarte Hääl reported at the time.
Last summer, the State Fleet had hoped that the construction cost would remain below €40 million. However, it has now been revealed that the previous procurement process did not receive any bids that met the requirements.
According to Svet, he therefore instructed the State Fleet to select a procurement format that would provide even greater opportunities for Estonian companies to submit competitive bids while also allowing the state more room for negotiations and flexibility.
"We also need to consider restrictions on which countries the ships can be built in," Svet said. "Given the current security policy and economic situation, we must ensure that, where possible, investments made with European Union funding remain within the EU, ultimately providing additional support to our own maritime industry. The dual-use potential of transport vehicles is becoming increasingly important in the transport sector as a whole," he added.
The specifications of the new ferry will remain the same as those developed in collaboration with various Estonian stakeholders. The vessel's primary power source must be electricity stored in onboard batteries, which will be charged from shore. Additionally, biodiesel-powered auxiliary generators will be included for use in extreme ice conditions or other special circumstances.
The new ferry is planned to serve as the main vessel on the Virtsu-Kuivastu route between Muhumaa/Saaremaa and the mainland but will also be capable of operating on the Rohuküla-Heltermaa route between the mainland and Hiiumaa if needed. Initially, the ferry was expected to be completed in 2027 and begin service that same year.
Currently, there is also a recognized need to temporarily lease a replacement vessel, as the Regula ferry is set to retire from service in April 2027.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
