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Finland tightens passenger control on Baltic Sea

Xinhua, January 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Finland is now demanding that ferry lines operating between Finland and Germany check visas when the passengers embark in northern Germany, Finnish media reported on Saturday.

The service between northern Germany and Finnish southern ports has become a popular route for refugees who are able to pay the ferry tickets. In the port of Helsinki Finnish authorities have charted busses to take new arrivals to a registration centre.

Up to now, the shipping lines have required identification but not visas. The shipping line Finnlines had announced the tightened regulation on their website last week.

Paivi Nerg, the top civil servant at the Ministry of the Interior, confirmed the situation to national broadcaster Yle. She said that it was nothing more than demanding that valid regulations must be adhered to.

A voyage between Finland and Germany is within the Schengen area. No actual border control exists but transport operators such as airlines and shipping lines must be able to confirm the passengers' identity.

Finnish media reported that German volunteer groups assisting refugees in travelling from Germany to Finland have been upset with the Finnish decision. Endit