St Peter Line, which operates two cruise ferries in the Baltic out of St Petersburg, has sent a letter to the prime ministers of Sweden, Finland Estonia, Malta and Cyprus to express its concerns about the imopact of new border checks in the EU.
The new rules affect the St Petersburg-Helsinki-Stockholm-Tallinn-Srt Petrsburg service of the compabny’s 38,000 gross ton Princess Anastasia, which flies the flag of Malta.
"The Finnish Border Guards have sent us a letter on 17.2.2012 saying that as from 1.3.2011 and as of 1.5.2012 some new rigorous border procedures will take place,” the company that is domiciled in Cyprus but managed from St Petersburg in Russia said in the letter.
“Earlier, external border checks were carried out only when the vessel was coming in to EU and Helsinki, as well as when the vessel was leaving EU and going out from Tallinn. However, these new procedures will force all passengers (whether EU citizens or not) to external border checks in and out in all EU ports Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn, even if the ferry is in traffic within EU.”
“This will be so time consuming and unnecessary within the EU borders that it will in practice destroy the idea of free movement within Schengen area. We truly fear that the passengers will not because of the time consuming procedures have enough time ashore and therefore abandon the possibility to travel with us. This would certainly mean the closure of the line,” the company said.
