Is Saaremaa Shipping Company taking advantage of monopoly?

Estonian “ferry king” Vjatseslav Leedo, head of Saaremaa Shipping Company, has managed to push the state into a corner and by using his monopolistic situation can demand higher and higher subsidies. There are no good solutions on the horizon that could end Leedo’s reign. Public tenders for ferry traffic have failed to find any alternatives. Finding competitors for Leedo is complicated because the expenses of entering the ferry market are high. One of the possible solutions has been creating a bridge, but this is not a priority for the current government. Because of the lack of competing companies, it is hard for the state to decide whether the subsidies Leedo demands are justified. Aripaev thinks that the Competition Board should investigate the relationship between Leedo and the state and then decide whether Leedo is taking advantage of his position.