FERRY SHIPPING

By | 2020 Newsletter week 36 | No Comments

A Terrible Summer Season Forces Brittany Ferries to Take Further Action

Brittany Ferries announced the closure of some easterly routes. Caen-Portsmouth however remains open.

Westerly routes will see the arrival of a new vessel in December.

Negative

  • Decision by the UK government to impose quarantine restrictions resulted in 65,000 pax cancellations and less bookings for autumn
  • BF was hoping for a summer season with 350,000 pax (instead of the normal 700,000+)
  • BF will only reach 200,000 passengers maximum
  • Passengers = 75% of BF’s income

Positive

  • BF has re-affirmed that its foundations are strong
  • Reservations for the 2021 season are strong (100,000 pax booked for 2021)
  • Newbuilding GALICIA enters service in December, on UK-Spain

Result

  • Five-year recovery plan
  • Closure of Cherbourg-Portsmouth, Le Havre-Portmouth, Saint-Malo-Portsmouth.
  • Cherbourg-Poole will also remain closed for the remainder of the year (closed since March)
  • CONNEMARA laid up as from 7 September
  • BRETAGNE laid up as from 7 September, no further service until 22nd March
  • BARFLEUR not in service for rest of 2020
  • ETRETAT laid up until further notice
  • KERRY no Roscoff-Rosslare service as from 7 September
  • CAP FINISTERE 3-month technical lay-over as from December
  • ARMORIQUE laid up Q1, 2021

Stena Group H1: Strong Tanker Operations versus Ferries and Offshore

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The Covid-19 outbreak is affecting Stena’s Business Areas in different ways and there has been a negative financial impact on the Stena AB Group as from mid-March.

EBITDA trends (+/-)

  • -Ferry operations
  • – Offshore drilling
  • +Tanker operations
  • +Property

Key H1 figures Stena AB

  • Total revenues SEK 16,632 million (SEK 16,973 million)
  • Direct operating expenses SEK 12,027 million (SEK 11,287 million)
  • EBITDA SEK 2,894 million (SEK 4,265 million)

Segment: Ferry Operations

  • EBITDA, excluding redundancy costs, SEK 514 million (SEK 1,369 million)
  • Redundancy costs for closing routes amounting to SEK 302 million.
  • Car volumes decreased 53%, passenger volumes decreased 52% and freight volumes decreased 11%.

Segment: RoRo Operations

  • EBITDA from chartering out Roll-on/Roll-off vessels SEK 114 million (SEK 151 million)
  • The decrease is mainly due to lower charter income due to the sale of the vessel KAIARAHI in Q4, 2019.

Change in vessel measurement policy

Stena has decided to change the measurement policy for vessels in the Ferries section and in the Offshore Drilling section as of January 1, 2020.

The remeasurement has:

  • increased the value of ferries with SEK 4.3 billion
  • decreased the value of drilling units in the segment with SEK 3.1 billion

Effect on H1: Depreciation, Amortisation and Impairment Depreciation and amortisation charges increased by SEK 142 million to SEK 3,668 million (SEK 3,526 million)

Outlook

“Given the uncertain situation, it is not currently possible to predict the full potential impact on the Stena AB Group.“

Irish Continental Group H1: Freight is Stable – Strong Liquidity Position

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Traffic volumes in H1, 2020 (Ferries Division)

  • -63.9% Passengers 233.9k (648k)
  • -64.9% Cars 56.6k (161.2k)
  • -2.7% RoRo freight 149.4k (153.6k)

Financial figures H1, 2020 (ICG)

  • Revenue EUR 130.8 million (166.8)
  • EBITDA EUR 10 million (30)
  • EBIT EUR -9.5 million (11.6)

Gross cash balances EUR 132.5 million (31 December 2019: 110.9 million).

Net Debt at EUR 103.3 million is 25.7 million lower than at the beginning of the year.

Depressed economic activity and travel restrictions = significant reduction in passenger traffic while freight activity across the Group has been less affected.

The Group has continued to focus on its strategic development and has retained a strong liquidity position.

Color Line’s H1 Affected by Pandemic – Strong Customer Base Is Encouraging

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Traffic volumes in H1, 2020:

  • -62% passengers 621,781 (1,634,408)
  • -4.2% freight units 85,759 (89,503)

Financial figures H1, 2020:

  • Operating revenues NOK 1,116 million (2,278) from which:
    • Revenue Cargo NOK 248 million
    • Norwegian Government compensation scheme NOK 129 million.
  • Operating loss/profit NOK -189 million (290)
  • Operating loss (EBIT) NOK -490 million (-8)

Facts

  • Adverse effects in connection with the measures imposed by the authorities in response to the coronavirus.
  • Extensive cost-cutting measures, including temporarily laying off employees (approximately 2 200 personnel).
  • Color Line suspended all passenger traffic on all its services in mid-March, with the exception of two ships operating between Norway and Denmark and a ro-ro vessel operating between Norway and Germany.
  • In mid-June, the company resumed passenger-carrying services between Norway and Denmark. At the same time, services to Germany were again permitted, with passenger embarkation in Oslo only, combined with goods traffic.

Outlook

  • Color Group is expecting to report earnings that are substantially lower than last year, and results will very much be dependent on the nature of the restrictions imposed by the authorities in the coming months.

+    Strong customer base, modern tonnage, excellent track record.

Norled H1: Increased EBITDA Profitability

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Norled operates ferries, fast ferries and tourist boats in Norway.

Especially the tourist boats and the onboard kiosks were affected by Covid-19.

Financial figures H1, 2020:

  • Revenue NOK 987 million (1,136)
  • Operation costs NOK 770 million (926)
  • EBITDA NOK 217 million (210)
  • EBIT NOK 100 million (114)
  • Net Income NOK 34 million (68)

Decrease in revenue is mainly due to changes in contract portfolio.

Norled ended 5 contracts at year end 2019, and started 4 new contracts 1. January 2020.

Increased EBITDA profitability is mainly due to changes in contract portfolio. EBITDA profitability in Q2 is affected by the COVID19 epidemic, mainly with reduced traffic revenue. Especially the expressboat segments related to tourist routes and charter activity have been negatively affected by the COVID-19.

As a result of COVID-19, there is a risk of delays in the construction and delivery of new vessels. The company is constantly working to optimize a plan with temporary vessels on the routes where there may be delays in delivery

Norled is owned by the Nordic infrastructure fund CapMan Infra and the Canadian company CBRE Caledon Capital Management.

FERRY SHIPPING

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According to the recent XRTC Business Consultants report, the Hellenic Coastal Shipping is entering a new era due to the pandemic.

The passenger traffic reduction by 50% will probably cause possible movements within the sector as well as allow new entries.

The most important points of the report are the following:

  • The passenger traffic of 2020 will be reduced by 49% compared to 2019 (about 8,88 million passengers compared to 18,2 million last year). The first five months of 2020 were disappointing for the ferry companies, as there was a drop of 60% in the transport traffic. As a result, only a few ships are currently operating –due to the pandemic- in order to cover the needs of this years’ high season, while many other ships remain moored including the majority of the high-speed crafts.
  • The winter of 2020-2021 will be particularly difficult for the sector, as the revenues from both the first semester and the summer season 2020 is not enough to cover sufficiently the operators’ financial and operational needs. So, the only way to stay afloat is to take a direct state or European subsidy.
  • The Greek ferry market should immediately take action on two levels: The first level is related to its survival while the second to its long-term maintenance and sustainability through European funds. At both levels, state aid is necessary.
  • This year’s financial results are not expected to be positive for the ferry operators, apart from a small number of companies that serve exclusively public interest lines. It is therefore important that both investors and financiers deal with the situation prudently in order to avoid an imminent immediate collapse of the companies.
  • Today, the large ferry operators (Attica Group, Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines) control about half of Greece’s transport traffic. The other half is controlled by comparatively new companies (leading Seajets), who have managed to control – with their fleet (65 conventional and high-speed crafts) – significant shares mainly in the Aegean markets and inter-island travel.

FERRY FINANCE

By | 2020 Newsletter week 31 | No Comments

Irish Continental Group H1: Strong Freight Performance Despite Pandemic

It is no surprise to see that the transportation of goods has kept ICG busy, while the passenger figures dropped considerably.

Volumes (Half Year 30 June 2020)

  • -65.0% Cars
  • -2.7% RoRo Freight
  • -11.7% Container Freight (teu)
  • -13.5% Terminal Lifts

H1 Finance (unaudited)

  • -21.6% Consolidated Group revenue €130.8 million
  • -33.3% Total revenues €61.6 million

The decrease was principally due to lower passenger volumes resulting from the travel restrictions introduced across the EU due to the Covid19 pandemic.

FERRY PORTS

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Italian Ports 2019 Statistics

Statistics 2019, provided by the Italian ports’ association Assoporti reveal the following trends:

  • -2.3% roro traffic in tons
  • -1.1% roro traffic in units
  • +5.1% passengers or 55,914,734 passengers. Of them, 11,969,005 were from cruise vessels, 17,724,678 from ferries and 26,221,051 were transported on the short sea ferry links and in the Strait of Messina.
  • Cruise market and short sea ferry links increased significantly (respectively +11% and +5%) while the ferry traffic was stable.

MSC Acquires Toll Shipping’s VICTORIAN RELIANCE

By | 2020 Newsletter week 10 | No Comments

A company belonging to Mediterranean Shipping Company bought the 1999-built roro VICTORIAN RELIANCE. The ship is already flying the Portuguese flag (Madeira) and will be renamed JOLLY BLUE.

The name indicates she will be chartered by Ignazio Messina who already operates the sister vessel JOLLY EXPRESS on the Rades (Tunis) – Gioia Tauro (Italy) – Naples (Italy) route.

The roro vessel is on her way to Singapore.

FERRY FINANCE AND STATISTICS

By | 2020 Newsletter week 10 | No Comments

Irish Continental Group plc: Preliminary Statement of Full Year Results

ICG reports a solid financial performance for the year ended 31 December 2019.

Irish Continental Group

+8.2% Revenue

+26.9% EBITDA (pre non-trading items)

+8.2% EBIT (including non-trading items)

  • EBITDA increase of €18.4 million principally due to improved schedule integrity, the introduction of the W.B. YEATS and the implementation of IFRS16.
  • Revenue increased €27.2 million (8.2%) to €357.4 million.
  • B. YEATS cruise ferry delivered in December 2018 and entered service in January 2019.
  • In April 2019, the group entered into a bareboat hire purchase agreement for the sale of the OSCAR WILDE to MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, for a total gross consideration of €28.9 million to be paid in instalments over 6 years. The profit in 2019 from this sale was €14.9 million.
  • Second new cruise ferry investment of €165.2 million ordered in 2018. Contracted for delivery in 2020.

 

Ferries Division

  • +8.3% Revenue
  • +1.8% Operating costs
  • +25.3% EBITDA
  • +7.1% Operating profit
  • +10.4% roro units
  • +2.6% passengers
  • +2.2% car