-The very strong first quarter of 2017 was followed by an equally strong second quarter. The January–June 2017 result for the period improved by approximately 16 per cent, and was EUR 35.4 (30.5) million, representing the best first half year result in Finnlines’ history. The second quarter result amounted to EUR 24.2 (22.2) million, which is the best second quarter ever. Finland’s export and import volumes are growing steadily month after month which is a welcomed sign of a long-expected economic recovery, president and CEO Emanuele Grimaldi says.
-Finnlines has invested heavily during the past decade to become more and more environmentally friendly and a more sustainable shipping company. We have successfully completed our EUR 100 million Environmental Technology Investment Programme, implementing technology designed to reduce ship emissions and fuel consumption. Our new capex programme, the Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction Investment Programme, is a well-designed programme towards sustainable shipping. This investment programme, in which we will lengthen our Breeze series ro-ro vessels, further improves our safe, reliable and environmentally sustainable fleet by providing us with increased capacity and even more cargo flexibility. In addition, the 30 per cent capacity increase per vessel will considerably reduce the energy consumption per transported unit. In addition to vessel improvements, Finnlines has invested in port operations, for example by improving IT software and hardware structure, renewing port equipment, simplifying company structure, and expanding activities with new traffics.
-Finnlines’ 70th anniversary year falls in the same year that Finland is celebrating the centenary of its independence. Finnlines is an iconic brand across the Baltic, and its history and that of its home nation are intimately intertwined. To ensure that Finnlines, as a pillar of the Finnish economy and its coastal trades, can serve its customers even better and meet their growing demand for top quality cargo service, we continue to invest. After a EUR 1 billion capex programme, EUR 100 million investment in environmental technology and, now, the EUR 70 million Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction Investment Programme, Finland’s flagship is stronger today than ever before. We are convinced that our investments, both completed and ongoing, will drive a continued strengthening of our competitiveness and that this positive growth will also continue during the second half of the year.”
