Silja Serenade cancels trips as bacteria spotted in water system

Cruise ship operator Tallink Silja on Saturday cancelled the trips of Silja Serenade on Helsinki--Stockholm route following discovery of legionella bacteria in its water system, said the Tallink Silja in a press release on Saturday.

The authority also took the decision to cancel the trips from Sunday to Tuesday due to systems cleaning in Stockholm.

The legionella bacteria were detected in few places in the water system during the regular monitoring of water quality on the ship.

The concentrations of the bacteria in the ship's water system exceed the limit values, said the authority.

As a precautionary measure, the company decided to carry out a chlorine shock-treatment of the vessel’s systems and eliminate the bacteria.

The company expects to complete the systems treatment by Tuesday and the ship to return to regular traffic on the same day at 16:45.

Cruise passengers who were scheduled to travel from Finland on the vessel on the evening of Saturday, will also be offered alternative solutions.

The cabins with higher readings have been closed and in addition, the temperature of the ship's warm water has been raised and the water points have been disinfected and rinsed in order to destroy the legionella bacteria.

The Legionella bacterium is not spread from person to person or by drinking water but is transmitted as water aerosols by inhalation.

Symptoms of legionellosis include dry cough, fever, headache, muscle pain, and shortness of breath.

The incubation period from infection to first symptoms is 2‒10 days. Passengers are urged to monitor their health and contact with the hospital in case of any symptoms develop after travelling with Silja Serenade.

Customers whose trips are affected by the cancellations will be contacted by the company and offered alternative solutions.

The ship company apologized for any inconvenience caused due to the cancelation of the trips.

The readings on all of the company’s other vessels are normal and sailings are unaffected.