In English (3.67 MB) - Finnlines
In English (3.67 MB) - Finnlines
In English (3.67 MB) - Finnlines
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nlines!<br />
ional and towards profitability<br />
Emanuel Sparring<br />
seven-day service, but capacity is likely to rise as state-of-the-art new<br />
vessels currently on order begin joining the fleet in 2011.<br />
Our desire further to expand this service reflects our belief in the<br />
immense potential of the Russia trade, and in our ability to serve it<br />
with the efficiency and flexibility required to speed its development.<br />
Over the last two years, we have added steadily to our portfolio<br />
on routes into St. Petersburg, launching a direct weekly connection<br />
with Helsinki in 2009, and this year increasing capacity on the northern<br />
route into the Russian city and adding calls into Ventspils and<br />
Sassnitz. We also debuted a new “Central Line” service from Hull and<br />
Immingham via Helsinki to St. Petersburg.<br />
All this expansion is not just about cargo. After long years of inattention,<br />
our passenger business is now a focus for sustained investment,<br />
and these service enhancements open up new possibilities for<br />
passengers travelling between Germany, Latvia and Russia.<br />
The strength and reach of the Grimaldi Group, meanwhile, allows<br />
us to open up ever-wider possibilities for our customers in the region.<br />
By knitting together seamless connections with ACL into the<br />
United States, for instance, or with Grimaldi’s Euromed service into<br />
the Mediterranean, we are able to carry cargo efficiently into new<br />
markets, enhancing our customers’ sales prospects at a particularly<br />
challenging time for all of us.<br />
<strong>In</strong>vesting in a downturn is never an easy choice, but it is often the<br />
right one. Since the crisis hit in 2008, we have worked to reorganise<br />
our internal structure, rationalise our fleet, and rebalance our service<br />
network. But we have also invested, in new ships and new services,<br />
in a bid to enhance our offering to our customers.<br />
That approach is now paying off. As the recovery inches closer,<br />
a new <strong>Finnlines</strong> is emerging that is a modern, efficient, responsive<br />
to its customers’ needs and, of course,<br />
moving fast towards profitability. After<br />
a year of struggle, we turned the corner<br />
in the second quarter and firmly<br />
expect to generate solid earnings<br />
for 2010. Heartened by our progress<br />
over the last year, we can now look<br />
forward to 2011 with confidence.<br />
Uwe Bakosch, CEO