AS Tallink Grupp has signed a charter agreement with the Organising Committee of the Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026 under which the cruise ferry Romantika will be deployed to Italy to provide accommodation and catering services for participants in the XX Mediterranean Games. The vessel will operate with both its technical and hotel service crews throughout the charter period.
Currently operating additional summer sailings on the Tallinn–Stockholm route, Romantika will complete her final Baltic Sea voyage on August 4th with a special evening cruise in Tallinn Bay. The charter will conclude the vessel's seasonal deployment four days earlier than originally scheduled. Passengers booked on later departures have been offered alternative sailings aboard Baltic Queen, Silja Symphony or Silja Serenade, and Tallink has already rebooked most affected reservations.
Tallink stated that deploying Romantika under charter represents the most effective use of the vessel and is expected to have a positive impact on the company's financial performance. The operator also noted that its flexible timetable allows customers to choose from several alternative departures following the early conclusion of the summer programme.
Built in Finland in 2002, Romantika was the first newbuilding commissioned by Tallink and the first passenger ferry constructed for an Estonian shipowner. During her career, the vessel has operated on routes linking Helsinki, Stockholm and Riga, while also undertaking charter assignments, including service in Algeria last year.
The charter continues Tallink's strategy of deploying vessels under long-term agreements across Europe. The company's cruise ferries Silja Europa and Galaxy are currently chartered in the Netherlands as accommodation ships, while Superfast IX, now operating as St. Patrick, is on charter to Hibernia Line for ferry services between Ireland and France.