Finnlines - Grimaldi Group

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changed from a year ago. What is more, we achieved that improvement
in a quarter hard hit by vicious winter conditions and damaging
strikes in Finland.
We have no illusions about the difficulties that face us and the
continuing threat posed by economic crisis in this region and beyond.
But we also see reasons to be cheerful, from encouraging predictions
of a solid increase in Finnish trade volumes in the year ahead to our
encouraging results in March. We are confident in returning to profit
in 2010.
Quality opErations in good shapE
Our confidence in the future is based on four key points. First, we
believe that after the exertions of the last year, Finnlines has licked
itself into good shape again. More remains to be done, but we expect
to emerge from the crisis fitter and stronger than before, and ready to
take off as the recovery takes hold.
Second, we are investing in quality, whether in the shape of sparkling
new ships matched perfectly to the routes they serve, or new
services that open up new markets for our customers, or the enhanced
facilities that are already transforming our passenger business into a
genuine profit centre.
Thirdly, we are leveraging the power of our parent, the Grimaldi
Group, creating network synergies that link Finnlines more closely to
the world beyond the Baltic – to the US, for instance, or southern
Europe – and that create new opportunities for our customers.
And last, but certainly not least, we are reaffirming our commitment
to our Finnish home, which remains our core market. Over the
last year, we have significantly enhanced our Finnish operations, both
in terms of new services and by deploying our flagship Star-class vessels
on more routes through Helsinki.
It has been a struggle and it is not over yet but, as our latest results
demonstrate, Finnlines is on the way back.
Uwe Bakosch, CEO
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