Five of Tallink Silja’s cruise ships, departing 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 their support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 14, which calls to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
The ships, Silja Serenade, Silja Symphony, Baltic Princess, Galaxy and Silja Europa will now offer their customers sustainable and traceable MSC certified shrimp and herring. About 160 tonnes of shrimp and 22 tonnes of herring are consumed on these five ships annually. This certification ensures that customers onboard ships can enjoy seafood in Tallink Silja’s 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,” explained Marika 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,” affirmed Minna 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," said Matti 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.”