Tallink Romantika set to return to service after F&B upgrades

ESTONIA. Cruise-ferry group Tallink is set to return one of its vessels – Romantika – back to service on 25 January after a significant revamp of its food & beverage facilities this month.

Over two weeks at the Nauta Shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, the ship – which serves the Riga-Stockholm (Latvia-Sweden) route – has had an overhaul and refresh of key passenger areas, as well as regular technical maintenance.

Romantika’s F&B upgrades are comprehensive and cover multiple outlets onboard

The ship’s buffet restaurant is being refurbished in line with Tallink’s Grande Buffet concept while the ship’s cafe has been renewed in accordance with the Coffee & Co concept, and the vessel’s pub renovation is in keeping with the group’s Seapub concept.

Refits, mainly decorative, have also been completed at the ship’s Grill House and Russian cuisine restaurants.

The Grande Buffet concept is appearing across the fleet

Traffic on the Latvia-Sweden sailing is the least busy among Tallink Group’s four ‘between-country’ routes but had, by far, the strongest growth in the fourth quarter of 2019 at +4.7% versus a company average of +1.5%.

On the technical side, improvements on Romantika include the use of high-voltage shore connection during port stays with others “designed to further enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions” said the company.

Tallink Grupp Head of Ship Management Captain Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik commented: “Romantika will be prepared for high-voltage shore connections during its port stays in Stockholm which will help us to further reduce emissions and contribute to a cleaner environment. The Port of Stockholm has been a pioneer in this technology in the Baltic Sea region and four of our ships already use the high-voltage shore connection there.”

Romantika is the third Tallink vessel to be refurbished in the first quarter of 2020. The listed company runs a continuous ship renovation programme allowing its 14 vessels – which serve seven ferry routes under the brand names of Tallink and Silja Line – to be updated and refreshed twice every five years. In the past five years the company has invested nearly €90 million in upgrades.

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