Swedish shipping chief criticizes traffic management plan in Ireland’s busiest port.
Naviera Armas has requested the help of the Spanish Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI), specifically from the ‘Support Fund for the Solvency of Strategic Companies’ (Fondo de Apoyo a la Solvencia de Empresas Estratégicas). It is the same fund that has helped Air Europa to avoid bankruptcy.
“We have contact with potential buyers every week”
Veteran ferry WASA EXPRESS (TRAVEMÜNDE, 1981) is for sale.
On November 24, 2020, KNOSSOS PALACE of Minoan Lines is expected to depart for the port of Naples, in order to replace CRUISE BONARIA ex- EUROPA PALACE in the Italian service.
CRUISE BONARIA will be renamed KNOSSOS PALACE, sport the Minoan Lines livery and will be introduced on the Piraeus–Heraklion line. Her arrival in Greece is expected within the first ten days of December.
Almost ready is the Kerkyra Lines small ferry EVDOKIA. The ship was purchased in September 2019 from the Japanese Sakido Kisen Co and sailed to Greece (Amaliapolis) on January 12, 2020. Due to the covid-19 crisis, her conversion was delayed, however today she had her final sea trials at Chalkis Shipyards and she will depart for Corfu soon in order to be introduced on the Corfu – Igoumenitsa or Diapontia Islands line.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has made a decision to impose a service obligation on round trips between Mariehamn and Kapellskär (Viking Line), as well as Eckerö and Grisslehamn (Eckerö).
On November 10, the first of two 5,000 lane meter dual-fuel LNG ropax ferries for the German TT-Line was floated out at the China Merchants Nanjing Jinling Shipyard.
With their newbuild in service, Chilean Navimag have sold the former DUKE OF FLANDERS for scrap in India.
Rømø-Sylt Linie GmbH & Co. KG has decided to repaint the two FRS Syltfähre ferries in red.
Brittany Ferries COTENTIN is back in France after the Stena line charter. She will be used on Poole – Cherbourg from January, as per UK Government Brexit Contracts.
Naviera Armas keeps the public service contract for El Hierro – Tenerife. The total contract amounts to € 6,000,000 and lasts two years.
Suardiaz RoRo GALICIA has been sold to the Spanish MoD (foronaval).
Successful Launch of New RoPax for DFDS
The second of the new combined DFDS ferry for the Baltics was launched at the Guangzhou Shipyard on 13 November.
New Austal Video Showcases A.P.T JAMES
A.P.T JAMES, Austal Hull 397, has departed Austal Vietnam (Vung Tau) and is now on her journey home to Trinidad and Tobago.
Austal has released a new video that showcases the Auto Express 94 high speed catamaran, filmed during sea trials.
DFDS: Increasing Freight Earnings
- Q3 freight earnings are above 2019 levels
- Efficiency enhanced by adaptation of operations and business structure to market changes
- Travel restrictions lowered passenger numbers significantly (-70%)
- EBITDA 2020 outlook raised to DKK 2.5-2.7bn on 23 October
Q3, key figures (in DKK billion)
- -19.6% Revenue (3,598)
- -29.2% EBITDA before special items (846)
- -46.0% EBIT before special items (388)
- -49.9% Profit before tax and special items (324)
- -59.4% Profit before tax (262)
EBITDA for freight ferry and logistics activities was DKK 126m above 2019 in Q3. The ongoing adaptation of operations and the business structure to market conditions post Covid-19 has been instrumental in achieving the increase. Besides higher margins, some activities also succeeded in raising volumes.
The continued tightening of travel restrictions during Q3 lowered, on the other hand, the passenger result below expectations. In Q3, EBITDA for passenger services was thus DKK 445m below 2019. This result includes passenger services in three business units that provide such services – Passenger, Channel and Baltic Sea.
Outlook 2020
On 23 October 2020, the outlook for 2020 was raised as freight volumes have developed more positively than expected during and after Q3.
EBITDA before special items is expected to be DKK 2.5-2.7bn in 2020 up from the previous outlook of DKK 2.2-2.5bn included in the Q2 2020 report.
Ferry – freight:
- Total volumes in October were 2% above 2019 adjusted for the closure of the Paldiski-Hanko route
- North Sea volumes were above 2019 driven by stockbuilding ahead of Brexit.
- Automotive volumes continued to recover.
- Baltic Sea volumes were also above 2019, mainly due to additional capacity between Estonia and Sweden.
- Mediterranean volumes were increased by growth in export volumes from Turkey.
- Volumes on the English Channel were slightly below 2019.
Freight lane meters (,000)
- October 2020: +0.4% (4,130)
- Last 12 months: -3.9% (39,487)
Ferry – passenger:
- Total number of passengers in October 2020 was 84% below 2019.
- The decrease reflects a continued negative impact from travel restrictions related to Covid-19.
- In the Baltic Sea, passenger numbers were considerably less impacted.
Passengers (,000)
- October 2020: -83.8% (64)
- Last 12 months: -55.1% (2,302)
“Having started the year with over 7,200 dedicated employees in the group this year, we are faced with the reality of this number of good employees, dedicated and passionate tourism sector people in our company falling below the 5,000 mark by the end of this year.”
Tallink Grupp’s CEO Paavo Nõgene
Q3 is normally the high season for Tallink Grupp. This year it has been heavily affected by the pandemic and its travel restrictions.
- -7% Trips
- -55.8% Passengers
- -1.9% Cargo units
- -50.0% Consolidated revenue
EBITDA was EUR 5.7 million (EUR 83.2 million in Q3 2019)
Net loss was EUR 23.9 million (EUR 54.6 million in Q3 2019).
Q3 financial result was impacted by the following factors:
- Significant decrease in operating expenses
- Negative impact from one-off costs related to redundancies process in the amount of EUR 3.1 million
- Positive impact from support measures, including the temporary salary compensation measure in Sweden and exemption from ships’ fairway dues in Estonia.
Outlook: “Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation the earnings outlook has become uncertain and continues to be largely subject to external factors such as the states’ decisions regarding the timing of lifting of the travel restrictions, allowing passenger traffic as well as the duration of the recovery period.”
La Méridionale‘s opens the previously announced Marseille-Tangier-Marseille route on 14 November with 3 sailings each way per week, using the GIROLATA and PELAGOS.
Suardiaz Group is going to launch a roro line between Tangier Med and Barcelona on 7 November.
It will run twice weekly and be able to transport all types of cargo, but especially textile, fruit and vegetables, distribution, retail and spare parts for the automotive industry.
CMA CGM started a service between Tangier and Marseille in 2017, but this was short-lived.
