Tallink’s vessels now using shore power in Tallinn, Helsinki, and Stockholm

By | 2023 Newsletter week 15 | No Comments

On Friday, 7 April 2023, Tallink Grupp’s shuttle vessel MEGASTAR started using high voltage shore connection facilities at the Port of Helsinki West Harbour while the vessel is berthed at the quayside overnight between departures.

Shore power is now used by Tallink Grupp’s vessels at the ports of Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki: fewer GHG emissions and less noise.

The company estimates that connecting the vessels to shore power facilities during their longer port stays reduces CO2 emissions of:

  • MYSTAR and MEGASTAR: each 112 tons/month (1,344 tons/y)
  • BALTIC QUEEN: 95 tons/month (1,140/y)
  • SILJA SYMPHONY and SILJA SERENADE: each 156 tons/month (1,872/y).

All five vessels using shore power during their longer port stays means that the company is reducing its CO2 emissions as a result by a whopping 7,572 tons per year.

Tallink back in black in 2022

By | 2023 Newsletter week 8 | No Comments

Tallink Grupp’s 2022 Unaudited Financial Results reveal a profitable year.

  • Full year profit of EUR 13.9 million (EUR 56.6 million net loss in 2021)
  • Consolidated revenue of EUR 771.4 million (EUR 476.9 million in 2021)
  • EBITDA of EUR 135.8 million (EUR 58.3 million in 2021)
  • Investments of EUR 203.3 million. EUR 176.7 million related to the new shuttle vessel MYSTAR.
  • 5 million Passengers (2.96 million in 2021).
  • 409,769 Freight units (369,000 in 2021)

The 2022 results were impacted by firstly the remaining Covid Travel Restrictions in force at the start of the year and then, more significantly, by the Ukraine War and resultant business cost increases.

Two ships are on long-term charters (ATLANTIC VISION and ROMANTIKA) and four on short-term charters (ISABELLE, SILJA EUROPA, GALAXY and VICTORIA I)

Tallink boosts Tallinn-Helsinki route capacity from November, adding 4 more departures per weekday to the route

By | 2022 Newsletter week 44 | No Comments

Tallink Grupp opened ticket sales for the brand new Tallinn-Helsinki route shuttle departures with its vessel STAR, which will be launched from 27 November, taking Tallink’s weekday departures on the route between the two Nordic capitals to a new record of  16 departures per day.

The new departures on shuttle vessel STAR are launched as the company’s brand-new vessel MYSTAR is nearing completion and will be launched on the route to operate in tandem with vessel MEGASTAR in the second half of November.

Keel laying of Scandlines’ emission-free Fehmarn Belt ferry

By | 2022 Newsletter week 36 | No Comments
  • 30 August 2022, Scandlines celebrated the keel laying of its new zero direct emission freight ferry PR24, under construction at the Cemre Shipyard.
  • The ferry will be inserted on the Puttgarden-Rødby route in 2024 as the first emission-free
  • In 2030, the entire route will be emission-free.
  • The new ferry can charge in just 17 minutes in Rødby. In 2019, Scandlines invested in a 50 kV / 25 MW power cable at Færgevej in Rødbyhavn. In spring 2023, work will start on extending this cable to the ferry berths, where a transformer and charging station will be installed.
  • Crossing time 70 minutes = emission-free
  • Crossing time 45 minutes = hybrid
  • Thus, the ferry can also be used as backup ferry for one of the four double-ended ferries.
  • The rebuilding of the terminals in Puttgarden and Rødby has already started.
  • Berth 1 in Rødby will be converted into a lay-up berth for all five double-ended ferries.
  • As PR24 will be transporting lorries on both the upper and lower decks – as it is currently the case on the ferries operating the Rostock-Gedser route – berth 1 in Puttgarden and berth 3 in Rødby must also be rebuilt. This work is expected to start later this year.

Data for zero-emission Scandlines freight ferry for the Puttgarden-Rødby route:

Length: 147.4 m

Breadth: 25.4 m

Design draft: 5.30 m

Freight capacity: 66 freight units (abt. 1,200 lane meters)

Max. number of passengers: 140

Service speed: 10 knots

Battery system: 10 MWh

Charging time in port: 17 minutes

Investment: 80 MEUR

Finnlines’ Superstar ro-paxes celebrate launching and keel laying

By | 2022 Newsletter week 36 | No Comments
  • Finnlines is building two Superstar ro-pax vessels.
  • The first vessel, FINNSIRIUS, was launched on 30 August 2022.
  • The keel laying of FINNCANOPUS, was celebrated on 1 September 2022.
  • The two ropax ferries will start to operate from Finland to Sweden and Åland Islands in 2023.

Environmental qualities

Emission reduction technology

Shore power connection

Exhaust gas abatement

Waste heat recovery

Battery pack

Air lubrication

Auto-mooring

Ballast water treatment system

Ship particulars FINNSIRIUS / FINNCANOPUS

Type of vessel : Cargo-passenger

Delivery: 2023

Ice class: 1A Super

Length, overall: 235.0 m

Gross tonnage: 64,600

Deadweight: 11,500

Lane metres: 5,100

Passengers: about 1,100

Passenger cabins: 323

Route: Finland–Sweden (Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär)

Will a Tallink cruise ferry end up in The Netherlands?

By | 2022 Newsletter week 29 | No Comments

Dutch media suggest that a Tallink vessel will be used as accommodation for refugees.

This cruise ferry would arrive end of August in Velsen-Noord (a town opposite IJmuiden).

There was an earlier plan to charter VICTORIA I for the same purpose, but much to the surprise of Velsen-Noord and the COA (Central organisation for asylum seekers).

A letter of intent was sent to Tallink on June 30 by COA and Sleepships, the company that was asked to organise the charter. However, no contract was signed and Scotland snapped the VICTORIA I.

The charter would last until 1 March 2023.

Tallink’s SAILOR to undergo planned dry-docking in Naantali REGAL STAR temporarily re-routed to Paldiski-Kapellskär route

By | 2022 Newsletter week 26 | No Comments

Tallink Grupp’s SAILOR has arrived in the BLRT Turku Repair Yard in Naantali, Finland, for its regular dry-docking, scheduled from 30 June until 11 July 2022.

During Sailor’s planned technical maintenance, company’s other ropax REGAL STAR will be temporarily re-routed to operate on the company’s Paldiski – Kapellskär route from 2 July until 12 July.

Tallink Q3: first quarterly profit since the start of the COVID pandemic

By | 2021 Newsletter week 44 | No Comments

“It is the first ray of light we have seen after a period where we have made a net loss of more than EUR 151 million in roughly a year and a half,” says Tallink Grupp’s CEO Paavo Nõgene. “We have unfortunately just reached the low season and the high COVID rates in Estonia and Latvia, in addition to the challenging employment market and high fuel prices, are all indicating it will be yet another tough winter ahead.”

Q3 Results

  • Unaudited net profit EUR 5.5 million (net loss of EUR 23.9 million in Q3 2020)
  • EBITDA EUR 35.1 million (EUR 5.7 million in Q3 2020)
  • +18.6% Unaudited revenue EUR 170.5 million (EUR 143.7 million in Q3 2020).
  • The biggest contributors to the revenue increase: onboard restaurant and shop sales, ticket revenue and charter revenue

During the third quarter of 2021, the company strengthened its liquidity position by taking out the loan from the Nordic Investment Bank and carrying out an additional shares emission of the company’s stock in early September. This has enabled the company to secure new capital, creating a strong liquidity buffer for the challenging low season ahead. The total liquidity buffer as at 30 September 2021 amounted to EUR 252.5 million (EUR 115.0 million at 30 September 2020).

Q1+Q2+Q3

  • In the first 9 months, the Group’s unaudited revenue decreased by 14.7% and amounted to EUR 310.3 million.

Unaudited EBITDA for the first 9 months was EUR 33.2 million (EUR 6.9 million