Finnlines - Grimaldi Group

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Contents Editoral 2 Finnlines celebrates a 15-year Russian cooperation 4 New vessels and a new terminal for Finnlines 8 Schedules 10 Issue 1/2012/8 Editor in Chief: Finnlines Printed by: Euraprint Oy news Published by: Finnlines Plc, Porkkalankatu 20 A FI 00180 Helsinki www.finnlines.com press@finnlines.com Printed in Finland in April 2012. Circulation: 28,000 copies 15 years anniversary for THE SHIPPINg buSINESS cAN bE A FIcklE FRIENd. THE EcoNomIc coNdITIoNS IN wHIcH wE SHIPowNERS oPERATE ARE FoREvER SHIFTINg. cARgo mARkETS RISE ANd FAll IN RESPoNSE To All mANNER oF ExTERNAl FAcToRS. FREIgHT RATES Ebb ANd Flow, AS do TRENdS IN EvERyTHINg FRom FuEl PRIcES To THE HolIdAy PREFERENcES oF PASSENgERS. yet if we are forever prey to the unpredictable and the unexpected, the experienced shipowner also learns a thing or two over the years about how to survive and prosper under such conditions. It is about analysing your market carefully, backing your conclusions decisively, and having the confidence to stick with a chosen strategy even when the storm is raging. It is also about being flexible enough to respond swiftly to changing conditions. Finnlines’ involvement in the Russian market is the perfect illustration of how this approach can work in practice. As you will discover in this edition of Finnlines News, we have now been involved in Rus-
Russian engagement sia for 15 years, starting with the launch of the TransRussiaExpress service between kiel and St. Petersburg. Today, the size and promise of the Russian economy might suggest that launching a dedicated Russia service is a fairly obvious move for a company in our region, but it was not always thus. Indeed, TRE ran into trouble early as the Russian economy hit the rocks and volumes shrivelled. Thankfully, we had the courage of our convictions and persevered, rebuilding our service to the market as the economy recovered, and then investing further in new routes and vessels. Today, TRE operates with the modern Hansa class ro-paxes for a combined capacity of 6,400 lm and 250 passengers every week. but it is far from being the only service we operate into Russia. As part of the grimaldi group, we are able to offer our Russian clients not just routes around the ports of the baltic Sea and North Europe, but access to a vast network of ser- vices to southern Europe and the mediterranean, Africa and the Americas. our Russian routings have expanded correspondingly. From St. Petersburg, Finnlines offers a weekly service to Zeebrugge, bilbao, Antwerp, Hull and Immingham. we operate six ro-ro vessels into the Russian city twice a week from this area and the number of vessels exceed already 10 with a further growth potential through 2012 from other directions. In February, our sister company Atlantic container line also announced that it would be accessing St. Petersburg, running cargo from the uS East coast to Antwerp where it will connect with Finnlines’ service to St. Petersburg, kotka and Helsinki. last month, we also launched a brand new ro-ro service connecting grimaldi’s port in wallhamn to ustluga, 150 km south of St Petersburg. Such is our confidence in this new routing that we have deployed one of our brand new chinese newbuilds on the service, with capacity for 3,200 lm of rolling cargo and 600 cars. Russia is also a market we believe will continue to grow fast as the local transport infrastructure improves. In ust-luga, good road and rail connections will allow us access to moscow and far beyond. In St. Petersburg, the completion of the bronka ro-ro and container terminal, scheduled for 2015, will take the pressure off the existing port facilities and allow for significant increases in volumes going forward. we at Finnlines continue to believe strongly in the Russian growth story. our strategy is based on clear-eyed analysis and bold investment and we are not to be deterred when the storm rages. In the years ahead, we expect to grow hand-in-hand with our Russian clients. Uwe Bakosch President and CEO 3
Page 1: a Grimaldi Group Company news 1 Fin
Page 5 and 6: It all began with the TransRussiaEx
Page 7 and 8: OUR NET WORKS. RELIABLE. PRECISELY.
Page 10 and 11: 10 We are the Baltic Sea TransRussi
Page 12 and 13: HansaLink Passengers & ro-ro servic
Page 14 and 15: Finnlines North Sea & Baltic ro-ro
Page 16: Photo: Marko Stampehl

Finnlines - Grimaldi Group

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