Finnlines’ Financial review January–September 2024
Finnlines Plc, Press release, Helsinki, 5 November 2024
Tom Pippingsköld, President and CEO, in conjunction with the review
”The beginning of 2024 was difficult with high interest rates, inflation, and a slowdown in economic growth. Yet many of the key figures showed an upturn when the Q3 report was completed. The Finnlines Group’s revenue in January–September 2024 amounted to EUR 547.2 (513.2 in 2023) million. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, EBITDA, amounted to EUR 140.8 (131.7) million.
The cargo volumes transported during January–September totalled approximately 595,000 cargo units, 63,000 cars (not including passengers’ cars) and 962,000 tons of freight not possible to measure in units. In addition, some 764,000 private and commercial passengers were transported.
As anticipated, passenger travel increased considerably on Finnlines’ vessels during the summer season. All the four ro-pax lines performed well and the number of private passengers more than doubled on the route between mainland Finland, Åland and Sweden. The growth on our Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär route during January–September was 122 per cent compared to previous year.
Finnlines has opened a new freight service between Finland and the United Kingdom to Port of London Medway, which is located in Sheerness in Kent. The infrastructure in the port is well-developed with a rail network and a direct access to the motorway connecting Kent with the London Metropolitan area and the rest of the UK. Further connections from UK are more easily available to Belgium, Spain and Ireland.
Global economic prospects are gradually improving. In the Euro area, including Finland, GDP is expected to rise by some 1.5 per cent in 2025–2026. Therefore, the European Central Bank should continue to take further actions and continue to cut interest rates in a more rapid pace to boost industrial activity and growth.
Since the beginning of this year, shipping has been included in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Starting next year, the Fuel EU Maritime regulation will also come into effect, shaping the future of shipping further. To align with these enhanced environmental standards, Finnlines has been forced to sell older vessels, which were not energy-efficient or which did not comply with the new regulations and emission requirements. To comply with the new environmental regulations and to reach lower CO2 emissions, Finnlines has invested over half a billion euros in most advanced vessels currently available with huge battery banks and other advanced technology to reduce emissions.
Regarding the green transition, Finnlines has currently a tender round on-going for selected shipbuilders to order three new ro-pax vessels using green fuels, which will enter the Finnlines fleet on our Helsinki–Travemünde route. The target is to sign the orders at the end of 2024 or at the beginning of 2025. In spite of somewhat unpredictable economic outlook and geopolitical challenges, Finnlines steams ahead. We are financially strong, we also have operationally and environmentally sound fleet, which will be further improved by new green-fuelled vessels, which will benefit Finnlines and also our customers when we both are reducing our emissions further.”
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More information:
Tom Pippingsköld, President and CEO, Finnlines Plc
tom.pippingskold@finnlines.com, +358 40 519 5041
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Finnlines Plc
Finnlines is a leading shipping operator of freight and passenger services in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Bay of Biscay. The company is a part of the Grimaldi Group, one of the world’s largest operators of ro-ro vessels and the largest operator of the Motorways of the Sea in Europe for both passengers and freight. This affiliation enables Finnlines to offer liner services to and from any destination in the Mediterranean, West Africa, North and South America as well as Asia and Australia.