The company has been offering the testing service on board the shuttle vessels on Fridays since 9 April this year, following a successful pilot of testing on board in March. Due to considerable interest in the service from passengers and the likelihood that the negative test certificate requirement will remain in force between Estonia and Finland for the foreseeable future even if travel restrictions are eased between the two countries, Tallink wants to play its part in ensuring safe travelling and to make travelling as hassle-free as possible.

The testing service is provided in partnership with Farmatar and by qualified medical personnel from medical trainings and services company Eldred. The service includes rapid antigen testing and the issuing of either a digital or printed test certificate.

„It is very important for Tallink that travelling at this difficult time is as comfortable as possible. This is why we are giving our passengers this opportunity to use the time during their trip to take the test, which is necessary for many for travelling to Estonia, Finland or elsewhere. The cost of the tests with the provided certificate is 39 euros, which is the cheapest testing option in Estonia and Finland, to our knowledge,“ Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp said.

Commenting on the daily testing service, Tallink Grupp’s Head of Customer Experience, Age Vanajuur added:

„The limited testing service we have run on the shuttle vessels from early April on Fridays, has proved to us that there is quite a lot of interest among our passengers to make the most of the convenience of testing on board. On the two Fridays we have been offering the service this month, we have carried out an average of a few hundred tests per day and Customer feedback on the service and the availability of this service has been very positive.

„When the travel restrictions are ultimately lifted between Estonia and Finland, at first for commuter traffic and thereafter hopefully tourism traffic, it is most likely that the negative test certificate requirement will still remain in place for some time when travelling. At least until vaccination reaches a critical mass and a vaccination passport system is developed, which is acceptable as an alternative to negative test certificates.

„Testing on board is quick and easy and within 15-20 minutes during your trip you can have the peace of mind of a test result in your hand with no need to worry about finding and booking a testing appointment while in Estonia or Finland.“

The antigen tests we use are the SARS-Cov-2 Rapid Antigen Tests, developed by SD Biosensor and currently the only rapid antigen tests verified by local laboratories. The cost of the rapid antigen test with the certificate is EUR 39.