Local Ferry Line Resumes Regular Navigation

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: February 20, 2013 (Issue # 1747)

Russian ferry operator St. Peter Line, one of the five largest ferry operators plying the Baltic Sea, has announced the opening of regular navigation for its boats Princess Anastasia and Princess Maria.

The company’s first ferry of the season is set to depart St. Petersburg on Friday for a cruise to Helsinki and back. On Saturday, the company will launch a cruise on the Princess Anastasia that calls at Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn before returning to St. Petersburg.

Both ships underwent mandatory examination by Lloyd’s Register in January to confirm that they remain seaworthy. The company took the opportunity to update the ferries’ interiors, including guest rooms, restaurants and the public areas of the boats. They also carried out systems checks and repairs, according to a press release from the company.

Russia’s only ferry operator plans to carry more than 700,000 passengers by the end of the year. In 2012 the company transported in excess of 640,000 passengers, which was up one third on passenger numbers for the previous year.

The ferries carried passengers from 138 countries to and from St. Petersburg in 2012. The most frequent travelers on the company’s ferries were Russians, followed by passengers from Finland, Sweden and Estonia.