“We promptly responded to the changed requirements and from March 9, DFDS passengers sailing from Sweden to Lithuania will be offered conditions to be privately tested right before the journey. This service is particularly pertinent because some people were surprised by this requirement, with many arriving at the ferry unprepared. It is our duty to ensure that all passengers would be tested and so, we took initiative and, alongside a private laboratory in Karlshamn, located 1.9 km from the terminal where our ferries dock, we established a testing space,” Vaidas Klumbys DFDS communications head for the Baltic States says.
According to the DFDS representative, while passenger volumes are currently reduced, there remains a stable flow of individuals travelling to Sweden and Germany for work purposes: “Even under current conditions, travel continues, but not all passengers are able to keep up with the new requirements. Many passengers had their trips planned before the requirement was established, and perhaps not everyone checks for the newest public information or don’t have time to be tested ahead of time. As such, this service is important not only for those headed for Lithuania and Estonia but also for those travelling abroad.”
At the end of February, the ferry operator DFDS arranged for two testing zones to be set up in the ports of Klaipėda and Paldiski (Estonia), where, after pre-registering, passengers were offered the option to take coronavirus antigen tests prior to their journey and receive a certificate. “We see that this service is popular in both Lithuania and Estonia, with testing being performed for several weeks now. In response to demand, alongside our partners, we made the decision to extend the testing team’s working time, with it operating 2.5 hours prior to departure at the Klaipėda central terminal.”
Sales and marketing head for the private laboratory SYNLAB, which offers the service, Viktorija Lapė spoke positively regarding the experience and results of the past few weeks of work at the Klaipėda central terminal: “We are very close to travelling individuals, we hear of their concerns prior to the journey and their happiness upon testing negative. For many, this is not just an obligation in order to enter a different country, but also personal reassurance. We present the test result within under an hour. It is those who remember the test with very little time left to the trip who are particularly happy – this offers them salvation because you cannot board the ferry without being tested.”
According to Vaidas Klumbys, all passengers are tested prior to journeys on DFDS ships, while those lacking a certificate in line with requirements and those not included in the exemption list are not permitted to board: “Our ferries travel between four countries – Lithuania, Sweden, Germany and Estonia and each of them has different requirements. Nonetheless, if we sail to places where testing is required before the journey begins, we ensure that all passengers are tested.”
Qualitative SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing from the nasopharynx or saliva samples is performed at the central terminal in Klaipėda. When testing saliva samples, special preparations are needed – the patient cannot eat, drink, smoke or consume medication for around half an hour prior to the testing. Such requirements do not apply when taking samples from the nasopharynx. Qualitative antigen testing and issuing a certificate in three languages (Lithuanian, English, Russian) at the terminal costs 40 euros. V. Klumbys emphasises that when organising the service for DFDS passengers, pricing the service appropriately was made a priority.
More information www.dfds.lt
