The queue for the ferry connecting Saaremaa to the Estonian mainland via the smaller island of Muhu stretched to nearly a kilometer in length approaching Kuivastu, with wait times reaching up to three hours.
Since the beginning of June ferry operator TS Laevad served the highest number of passengers and vehicles on July 20-22, transporting over 51,000 passengers and 18,000 vehicles on the popular Saaremaa route.
This past weekend, however, reached third place, falling below the summer’s record week, but nonetheless exceeding Midsummer weekend figures by more than one fifth.
According to official TS Laevad figures, the company’s ferries transported a total of 34,424 people and 12, 587 vehicles between the Estonian mainland and Saaremaa’s neighbouring island of Muhu.
“There was indeed a queue at the Port of Kuivastu on August 5,” Sirle Arro, head of communications at the Port of Tallinn, said. “The route was served by three ferries according to the operating schedule, and an extra departure was added from Kuivastu at 22:15 EEST to serve everyone who wished to cross.”
According to Arro, ferry queues on summer Sundays are inevitable, as Estonia’s western islands are appealing holiday and tourist destinations during warm summer months. (ERR/Business World Magazine)