Legal dispute

AS Tallink Grupp, Stock Exchange Release
22.09.2006

Legal dispute

AS Tallink Grupp announces that Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication has filed a law suit against AS Tallink Grupp and its subsidiary AS Hansatee Cargo claiming EEK 33.5 million (EUR 2.1 million) for unpaid lighthouse and ice breaking dues from the time period of June 2003 to June 2004.

AS Tallink Grupp has in May 2003 turned to the Chancellor of Justice requesting to control the conformity to the Constitution and law of the Regulation no 113 of the Minister of Transport and Communications from 12th of December 2001 „ Rates of Lighthouse Dues and Ice-Breaking Dues and the bases and procedure for application of advantages“ as well as the performance of the Maritime Administration under the above mentioned Regulation. In his letter to the Finance Committee of the Parliament the Chancellor of Justice found that the Lighthouse and ICe- Breaking dues essentially fall under the protection of the Constitution and as such, their enaction by the Government violate para 113 of the Constitution. According to this the Chancellor of Justice asked to bring the Merchant Shipping Code into the conformity with the Constitution. As a result an amendment to the Maritime Safety Act was adopted according to which from 25.04.2004 the Ice Breaking and Lighthouse dues were brought into this Act under the generic term of Navigation Dues.

Based on the above, we refused to pay the unlawful dues and contested in court the already paid Lighthouse and Ice Breaking dues from the period 1999 to the end of 2002 in the total amount of 38,1 million kroons.

We are of opinion that as the suit filed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication is based upon a resolution of a minister recognised of being in contradiction to the Constitution by the Chancellor of Justice, then the claim against AS Tallink Grupp is totally unfounded.

Janek Stalmeister
AS Tallink Grupp
Financial Director
Tel: +372 6409 800