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Tallink Grupp in 2025: Difficult but Satisfactory

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

AS Tallink Grupp has published its unaudited financial results for the 2025 financial year.

  • Revenue EUR 765 million
  • Loan and interest payments amounted to nearly EUR 113 million
  • EBITDA EUR 130 million
  • Net profit EUR 17.3 million
  • Tallink Grupp and its subsidiaries contributed EUR 97 million in taxes to the Estonian state budget. An additional EUR 12 million worth of CO₂ allowances will be surrendered to the state for the previous year.
  • At the end of the financial year, the Group operated 11 vessels, with three chartered out and additional three sold.
  • The company plans to continue paying dividends in the current year.

Paavo Nõgene, CEO of AS Tallink Grupp:

  • “Results were particularly affected by economic uncertainty in largest market, Finland.”
  • “In Estonia, the lack of state support for the maritime sector further strains our business operations and places us at a competitive disadvantage compared to neighboring countries.”
  • “The sale of three vessels supported cost‑base optimization. We have consistently reduced our debt burden and will continue to prioritize this going forward.”
  • CONCLUSION: “Considering all circumstances, the year can be described as difficult but, with reservations, satisfactory.”

Statistics

  • 5 million pax (-0.9%)
  • 6 million pax on Estonia–Finland (+1.8%)
  • 4 million pax on Finland–Sweden (-2.4%)
  • 245,000 cargo units (-19.2%)
  • 760,000 passenger vehicles (-2.2%)

Environmental

In 2025, shuttle vessels began bunkering biomethane.

CEO Nõgene hopes that sufficient fuel will remain available at a reasonable price. “We have already reached three‑quarters of our biomethane supply target.”

Click on the image to access the 2025 report

DFDS Full Year: Turnaround Gains to Drive 2026 Earnings Improvement

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

Positive trend

  • Financial performance started to turn around in Q4 2025 as the underlying result was above 2024 adjusted for non-comparable items.
  • DFDS closed the year with strong cash flow performance.
  • The Mediterranean ferry network turned profitable again in Q4 2025 and is expected to continue to improve profitability in 2026.
  • The Nordic and Continent logistics business units also improved performance driven to a large extent by the Boost turnaround projects.

These positive developments more than offset lower results in a few other areas.

  • Slowdown in Channel ferry market volumes, even though onboard spending continued to grow.
  • Cost coverage continued to be an issue in the quarter as competitive pressures prevented setting fully matching price increases.
  • A cost reduction programme of DKK 300m was initiated in November 2025, with 400 office-based colleagues were made redundant.
  • A DKK 97m redundancy cost is consequently reported in Q4 2025. During 2026, further specific cost reduction initiatives will be realised to deliver a targeted total cost reduction of DKK 300m.

 

Outlook 2026 

  • Revenue expected to be around level with 2025.
  • EBIT guided at DKK 800–1,100m (2025: DKK 520m).
  • Mediterranean and Channel ferry networks expected to improve earnings.
  • Nordic and Continent logistics to benefit from full-year impact of 2025 turnaround projects.
  • Operating capex expected at around DKK 1.7bn; no new ferry newbuild capex planned.
  • Adjusted free cash flow expected to be above zero.
  • Outlook subject to economic uncertainty, including ~1% expected EU GDP growth and geopolitical risks.

Click on the picture to access the report

Two New RoRo’s – A Major Step Forward for Godby Shipping

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

Godby Shipping has taken a significant leap by ordering two Stream RoRo 1700 vessels — with options for two more — at CIMC Raffles.

This is more than fleet renewal. It is a decisive move to scale capacity and strengthen environmental performance.

At a glance:

  • 125 m x 24 m
  • 1,700 lane metres
  • ~6,200 dwt
  • Three cargo decks + stern ramp

Developed with Technolog Services, the vessels will deliver 70–100% more cargo capacity than MIMER and MIDAS — with similar fuel consumption.

Efficiency and future readiness are central:

  • Advanced CFD optimisation
  • Shore power connection
  • Batteries for emission-free port stays
  • Prepared for waste heat recovery and methanol

Steel cutting starts in 2027. Deliveries are scheduled for 2028–2029.

Samskip Agrees To Sell To CLdN Its UK and Ireland Quay-To-Quay and Door-To-Door Freight Business

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

CLdN will acquire Samskip’s quay-to-quay and door-to-door freight business between the Continent and the UK & Ireland.

  • Includes container services between Rotterdam and UK ports (Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull, Tilbury) and Irish ports (Cork, Dublin, Waterford).
  • Network currently performs more than 1,000 port calls per year.
  • Covers door-to-door multimodal operations linking the UK & Ireland with continental Europe.
  • Transfer of leases for 5,000+ multimodal cargo units, including 45ft pallet-wide containers, reefers and flat racks.
  • Supplier agreements for road, rail, barge, vessel sharing and port operations to move to CLdN.
  • Strengthens CLdN’s short-sea container offering alongside its RoRo activities.
  • Expands scale and network reach, particularly towards Central & Eastern Europe.
  • Regulatory and competition approval required before closing.
  • Financial details not disclosed.

Source: CLdN and Samskip

Wasaline: AURORA BOTNIA Achieves World’s Largest Battery Capacity for a RoPax Vessel

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

AURORA BOTNIA has completed sea trials following a major battery upgrade and now features the largest battery capacity ever installed on a RoPax vessel worldwide.

The vessel’s battery capacity has been expanded from 2.2 MWh to 12.6 MWh. The upgraded system has been approved for operation in traffic by DNV.

The new batteries, supplied by marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy, can store nearly five times more energy than the previous battery packs. This significantly enhances the vessel’s:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Operational flexibility
  • Environmental performance

AYK Energy previously supplied the Brittany Ferries E-Flexers SAINT-MALO and GUILLAUME DE NORMANDIE with battery packs very close but just below AURORA BOTNIA’s capacity.

Kerkyra Lines Purchases FLYING DOLPHIN VENUS I

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

According to recent information, Kerkyra Lines has proceeded with the purchase of the hydrofoil vessel FLYING DOLPHIN VENUS I. The same sources indicate that FLYING DOLPHIN 17 will also join Kerkyra Lines.

The vessel has been renamed PAXOS ISLAND II and is expected to depart for the island of Corfu in the coming days. She previously served on the Piraeus–Aegina–Agistri route and belonged to Aegean Flying Dolphins.

She was built in Georgia in 1981 by Ordzhonikidze Works. Her capacity is 100 passengers, and she operates at speeds of up to 30 knots.

Photo: Mike Louagie

Seajets’ RoRo CABO Arrives in Greece

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

On 19 February 2026, Seajets’ recent acquisition RoRo CABO (ex-CABO STAR, FINNFOREST, ANTARES / 1988) arrived at the port of Piraeus and berthed at Saint George (Molos DEH).

The vessel was purchased in January from the Canadian company Bridgemans Services Group and represents Seajets’ first step into the RoRo sector in Greece.

Built in Gdansk, Poland, in 1988 for Fincarriers, the vessel has a capacity of 130 passengers and 2,500 lane metres (approximately 130 trailers). Service speed is 21 knots.

Photo: Petros Psarras

HSC LAURA SANGIOVANNI Delivered to Liberty Lines

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

The Sicilian ferry company Liberty Lines, owned by the Morace family, has taken delivery of HSC LAURA SANGIOVANNI, newly built in Spain by Armon Shipyard in Vigo.

The vessel operated its first scheduled service from Lipari to Milazzo.

HSC LAURA SANGIOVANNI is the eighth fast hybrid vessel built in Spain for Liberty Lines. Malta Shipbrokers International Ltd acted as broker for the deal.

This vessel model is the result of close collaboration between the technical teams of Liberty Lines, Armon Shipyard, Rolls-Royce, RINA, and the Australian designers Incat Crowther.

Like her sister ships already delivered and in operation, HSC LAURA SANGIOVANNI is equipped with an integrated propulsion system featuring Rolls-Royce MTU Series 4000 engines, providing both conventional and electric propulsion. This hybrid configuration enables the vessel to enter and leave ports with zero emissions, sailing at up to 8 knots in full-electric mode and up to 30 knots in cruise mode.

Increasing Competition and Tonnage Deployment Between Grimaldi and DFDS

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

The competitive landscape between the shipping companies DFDS and Grimaldi Euromed on the Motorways of the Sea connecting the Turkish market with Central Europe via the port of Trieste is heating up again.

The Danish shipping company announced the deployment of the chartered-in RoRo vessel HAFNIA, adding approximately 3,300 linear metres of garage capacity to the market. “We offer the highest frequency and largest RoRo cargo capacity on the Turkey–Europe trade, with 14 weekly departures, in addition to the Egypt–Italy service,” commented Lars Hoffmann of DFDS.

A few days later, Grimaldi publicly announced that eight weekly departures had been restored on the Trieste–Patras–Ambarli–Gemport line, with a total capacity of approximately 4,000 RoRo units per week.

Furthermore, another development has been announced: “We are ready to deploy our fifth vessel, EUROCARGO BARI, on the line, aiming to reach a total frequency of ten weekly departures and a capacity of over 4,500 rolling units per week,” Grimaldi said.

Photo Lars Hoffmann on Linkedin

Lavrio Coordinates Greek Ports’ Shore Power Preparation

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

Lavrio Port Authority S.A. hosted a conference on shore-side electricity (SSE) as coordinator of the EU-funded DECOMPRESS project

The event, held on 12 February 2026 under the auspices of the Hellenic Ports Association, focused on preparing Greek ports for mandatory SSE deployment by 2030.

The DECOMPRESS consortium brings together the port authorities of Rafina, Corfu and Kavala, the Greek electricity distribution operator HEDNO, Growthfund, and technical partners.

Main topics included:

  • EU regulatory requirements
  • Grid capacity and interoperability
  • Financing tools and business models

Lavrio stressed that port electrification requires coordinated energy planning and timely adaptation of port master plans.

Source: Hellenic Ports Association

MOSOLF Expands To Port Of Oostende

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

MOSOLF Group will expand its activities to the Port of Oostende, strengthening the Belgian port’s position as a multimodal logistics hub

Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany, MOSOLF provides vehicle handling and storage, transport, technical processing and port-based logistics solutions. The group is active in several European ports, offering RoRo services, breakbulk handling and value-added activities

In Oostende, MOSOLF’s activities are expected to include:

  • Vehicle handling and storage
  • RoRo logistics
  • Technical and value-added services
  • Sustainable multimodal transport solutions

Bastia Pilots Back “Portu Novu” Project

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

The maritime pilots — responsible for guiding vessels in and out of the Port of Bastia — state that continued traffic growth is no longer feasible within the current infrastructure.

Following a series of simulations, they conclude that operational limits have been reached.

The pilots now support the development of the proposed “Portu Novu” project, located south of the city, as a long-term solution to:

  • Improve manoeuvring safety
  • Accommodate traffic growth
  • Safeguard Bastia’s role as a primary ferry gateway

For RoPax operators, the issue is structural: without capacity expansion, future deployment and schedule optimisation could be constrained.

Source: Corse Matin (in French) – Photo Mike Louagie

KALLISTE May Avoid Scrapping

By | 2026 Newsletter week 08 | No Comments

La Méridionale’s ferry KALLISTE could avoid demolition.

A solution aimed at returning the vessel to service is reportedly taking shape. No final decision has been made, but a serious alternative to scrapping in Turkey — the option previously considered by the CMA CGM Group — is now on the table.

Note from FSN: Recently, the unions have been striking against the scrapping. Last year, there were rumours that CMA CGM wanted to sell La Méridionale. The company has two RoPax ferries on order.

Source: Le Marin (in French) — Photo Jean-Pierre Fabre

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