Tallink Grupp : Silja becomes the world’s first cruise line to serve MSC certified seafood

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 15:00:00 +0300

Photo: Joanna Westerholm (Bureau Veritas) gives a certificate to Margus Schults.

Five cruise ships out of Tallink Group's fleet operating from Finland have become the world's first cruise ships to obtain MSC Chain of Custody certification for the seafood they serve. The Tallink Group is one of the largest maritime carriers of passengers and cargo in the Baltic Sea region and this MSC certification demonstrates their commitment to sustainability and support of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 14, which calls to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.

All Silja Line cruise ships operating between Helsinki-Stockholm & Turku-Stockholm, Silja Serenade, Silja Symphony, Baltic Princess and Galaxy, and one Tallink cruise ship Silja Europa operating between Helsinki-Tallinn route now offer their customers sustainable and traceable MSC certified shrimp and herring. About 160 tonnes of shrimp and 22 tonnes of herring are served on their cruise ships and this certification ensures that customers onboard these ships can enjoy seafood in restaurants that has come from a sustainable fishery and can be traced from ocean to plate.

"Tallink Silja strives to source sustainably and to guide its customers towards making the right choices," explainsMarika Nöjd, Communications Director at Tallink Silja. "The MSC is the world's most credible environmental certificate for sustainably caught seafood, so the MSC Chain of Custody certification implemented on our vessels is a natural step towards advancing our sustainable development work. In the future, we intend to get MSC certification for all of our ships operating on the Baltic Sea."

"Tallink Silja becoming the world's first MSC certified cruise line is great news," affirmsMinna Epps, MSC Program Director, MSC Baltic Sea region. "This company is encouraging the fishing industry and other companies to take responsible courses of action. In order to attain SDG 14 we need more commitments from companies to only source sustainably caught fish that is traceable."

The first MSC Chain of Custody certification of these cruise ships is a clear step forward in the sustainable seafood movement. MSC certified fisheries are continually monitored and must complete annual surveillance audits as well as being reassessed every five years. More than 1,200 improvements to fishing practices and environmental management have been delivered by MSC certified fisheries since 2000.

"Globally speaking, the situation of fish stocks is alarming and the WWF recommends that both retailers and restaurants should switch the imported seafood products to MSC-certified alternatives," saysMatti Ovaska, Conservation Officer at WWF Finland. "It is a truly wonderful initiative for Tallink Silja to be a pioneer of fishery product responsibility in the global cruise line sector."

For further information, please contact:

Tallink Silja Oy:Marika Nöjd, Communications Director, +358 400 207 704,marika.nojd@tallinksilja.com
MSC Finland:Janne Posti, Fisheries and Supply Chain Manager for Finland, +358 44 980 5916,janne.posti@msc.org
WWF Finland:Matti Ovaska, Conservation Officer, +358 40 727 3149,matti.ovaska@wwf.fi

Tallink Silja Oyis part ofAS Tallink Grupp, one of the largest maritime carriers of passengers and cargo in the Baltic Sea region. From Finland, the company's ships operate under the Tallink brand from Helsinki to Tallinn and under the Silja Line brand from Helsinki and Turku to Stockholm via Åland. Tallink Silja Oy has offices in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere and a subsidiary, Sally Ab, in Mariehamn. The company employs about 500 people ashore and about 1,000 at sea. AS Tallink Grupp is listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange.www.tallinksilja.fi

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)is an international non-profit organisation. Our vision is for the world's oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Our ecolabel and certification program recognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.

The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that:
- It comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC's science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.
- It's fully traceable to a sustainable source.www.msc.org

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)is one of the world's largest and most respected independent nature conservation organisations. The WWF global network is active in more than 100 countries and has over 5 million supporters. The WWF mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
The WWF operates in all sectors of nature conservation.www.wwf.fi