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In its 2019 Q4 and December statistics, Tallink Grupp sees the following trends:

• +0.1% passengers = a record number of 9,763,210 passengers.
• The biggest increase in the number of passengers was on the Finland-Sweden routes (+1.7% or 2,894,494 pax)
• Estonia – Sweden passengers went down 7.9%
• The number of passenger vehicles in 2019 increased on the Finland-Sweden routes, but decreased on all the other routes.
• The number of cargo units transported by the company in 2019 also increased on the Finland-Sweden routes and Latvia-Sweden route and decreased on other routes. In total the company transported 379,634 units of cargo in 2019, which is 1.4% less than in 2018.
• Q4 results affected by postal strike in Finland.
• Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp, said that the drop in cargo – “in a competitive environment” — would be tackled.
• Start of building of new LNG Ferry MY STAR at Rauma.

The Italian Antitrust authority announced this week the decision to postpone the recalculation of the fine to Moby for the abuse of dominant position on the maritime links between the country’s mainland and Sardinia region.

In March 2018 the authority fined Moby and Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione (the former Tirrenia) with a sanction of €29 million for having misused their dominant position in three different routes of maritime transportation of goods. The investigation originated from the complaints of two logistics compagnie (Trans Isole and Nuova Logistica Lucianu), and of a maritime transportation company (Grimaldi Euromed), subsequently joined by the intervener in the proceedings Grendi Trasporti Marittimi.

In May last year the administrative court in Rome confirmed the sentence but asked for the fine to be recalculated while Moby group appealed the decision.

Now the Italian Antitrust Authority decided to wait until the delivery of the next sentence before (possibly) re-calculating the fine.

Delegation of Public Service for Secondary Corsican Ports Might Have to Be Revised

For the second time, the tender procedure for the ports of Porto-Vecchio and Propriano will probably be declared unsuccessful. The reason is the growing success of these smaller ports, which changes the framework for the DSP.

After having lost the main routes, La Meridionale was able to operate on Marseille – Propriano, and on Marseille Porto-Vecchio (the latter with Corsica Linea).

The fear is now that La Meridionale loses these secondary routes too.

Note from Ferry Shipping News: there are more questions than facts in this article. We’ll have to find out what the President of the Executive Board intends to propose at the next session of the Assembly of Corsica, on January 9 and 10. An emergency procedure will have to be started for a DSP until the end of this year.

Ferry services to and from Karlshamn are secured for the future. At least for the next ten years. That is the meaning of a new agreement with DFDS.

• Viking Line does not plan to install rotor sails on its new VIKING GLORY, which is under construction in China. The rotor sail on the deck of VIKING GRACE will be tested for another year.
• NILS DACKE is currently in the German Dry Docks (GDD) in Bremerhaven for a refurbishment and the installation of a Ballast Water Treatment plant.The sister ships TOM SAWYER and HUCKLEBERRY FINN were sent to Remontawa, while the PETER PAN got refreshed at Fayard.
• FADIQ is on charter to DFDS at Sète.