Tallinn’s new environmentally friendly cruise terminal has reached its design height
In early July, the Port of Tallinn and its partners from the City Government and the construction contractor officially celebrated having reached the full design height of Tallinn’s new multifunctional and environmentally friendly cruise terminal, which is scheduled to be opened in July 2021, the Port of Tallinn says in its press release.
According to the business manager of cruise and ferry of Port of Tallinn, Ms. Ingrid Berezin, the company is fully committed to completing the construction of Tallinn’s new gate that will welcome the guests of out Hanseatic city arriving onboard of cruise ships.
“We are assured, and this is a view shared by our partners in cruise industry, that the current pause in cruise tourism caused by the pandemic is only temporary, and we will soon be able to welcome cruise companies and travellers to Tallinn again,” she noted. “In turn, we are looking forward to welcoming our guests in the new, state-of-the-art terminal, which was designed on the basis of sustainability principles and is being built with environmentally friendly materials.”
Port of Tallinn is committed to following the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG) in all its activities and developments and believes the green approach will provide a competitive advantage for the company in attracting visitors.
“Both the interior and exterior design will be environmentally friendly: the building will be heated by sea power and will draw energy from solar panels. LED lighting, a temperature-controlled ventilation system and a natural smoke and heat extraction system will be installed,” Ingrid Berezin said. “The terminal will use energy-efficient, environmentally cleaner and sustainable solutions suitable for the Nordic climate, which will allow the building to be used outside the cruise season for holding events, concerts and conferences.”
A key challenge for all stakeholders in the cruise industry is to devise a sustainable model that would combine the industry’s positive economic effects and its projected future growth while paying attention to environmental concerns. According to Ms. Sirle Arro, Head of Marketing and Communications at the Port of Tallinn and the council member of Cruise Europe, in planning the new terminal, the Port of Tallinn put great emphasize on merging the needs of cruise business, which has an extremely positive impact on the local economy, with those of local communities.
“A part of sustainable business is caring for the needs of our visitors as well as local residents,” Sirle Arro said. “With the new attractive terminal, we will also open up Tallinn’s seafront to the residents of the city: on the roof of the terminal, there will be a promenade open to everyone; and during the off-season, the building can be used for various events or entertainment.”
In addition, the Port of Tallinn is collaborating with the City of Tallinn in implementing the joint project “Attractive walkway between the port and the city” to encourage shore excursion companies to organise more walking tours instead of using buses. The project also aims to motivate cruise tourists to visit other attractions than the Old Town.
“We at the Port of Tallinn are confident that our future success depends directly on following the principles of sustainable development and working together with our industry partners. Business, investment and development plans are equally linked to the well-being of our surrounding communities and society in general,” Sirle Arro stressed.
Port of Tallinn’s sustainable development strategy defines both the short- and long-term perspective and its goals are aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals and integrated into the company’s overall strategy.