Cornwall G7: Police hire cruise ship to house officers

Tallink describes the Silja Europa as the "biggest and most beautiful cruise ship on the Baltic"

Police have hired a cruise ship to accommodate officers working during the G7 summit in Cornwall.

The Devon and Cornwall force confirmed it would use MS Silja Europa for the event between 11 and 13 June.

The ship, which usually sails around the Baltic Sea, would be moored off Falmouth and used "for a 10-day period", the force said.

More than 5,000 extra officers on top of 1,500 from the force are helping police the summit of world leaders.

The G7 summit is being held in Carbis Bay and more than 4,000 rooms in separate accommodation, such as hotels, have already been booked, the force said.

The summit at Carbis Bay will see the heads of the G7 countries, plus other world leaders

A spokesman said "to secure further essential capacity" it had "reviewed a number of options and recently agreed to hire the MS Silja Europa", which has capacity for more than 3,000 passengers.

The move took into account "impacts to the environment, community, the operational needs, and those of our officers and staff".

The force said: "The vessel will remain static, moored in Falmouth, used for a 10-day period, with only the accommodation, catering and other essential facilities in use."

It added it was working closely with the vessel's owners, Estonian firm Tallink, so officers onboard would "follow all the applicable Covid safety guidelines", along with daily testing.

The liner's owner describes the Silja Europa as the "biggest and most beautiful cruise ship on the Baltic".

Tallink CEO Paavo Nõgene said the company was "pleased to work with the Devon and Cornwall Police team on this charter and happy to provide accommodation to the officers working with the summit".

He said: "I know our crew will do their best to ensure the officers' stay on our vessel will be safe and comfortable."

The UK, US, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan make up the G7; with leaders from Australia, India, South Korea and the EU also attending.