In 2020 Q3, 5.3 million tonnes of cargo and 1.6 million passengers passed through the harbours of Tallinna Sadam. Compared to the same period of previous year, the cargo volume increased by 24% and the number of passengers decreased by 55%. The number of vessel calls declined by 7.3% to 2123 calls. The number of passengers travelling between the Estonian mainland and the main islands decreased by 4.8%, but the number of vehicles increased by 3.1% and the number of charter days of the icebreaker Botnica remained at the same level as in the previous year.
According to Valdo Kalm, Chairman of the Management Board of Tallinna Sadam, the company's balanced business model including four business areas has proven itself particularly well in today's corona era. "Due to the pandemic, our passenger business is suffering significantly, but at the same time the cargo volume has grown strongly and shipping business in the form of ferries and icebreaker Botnica has continued on a stable course," said Kalm.
Cargo volume increased in the third quarter mainly due to liquid cargo, which was affected by the export of previously stored goods from terminals at the end of the contango situation in the oil market (today's current price is lower than the expected future price). Due to the efficient start-up of the new terminals, the volume of dry bulk cargo also increased again, the largest part of which was the handling of grain, fertilizers and crushed stone. In the first 9 months, the cargo volume increased by 8.8%, which was driven by a strong increase in the volume of liquid cargo.
The decline in passenger numbers was due to a reduction in people's confidence and travel due to the constantly changing movement restrictions and instability imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. "From September onwards, there will be only one departure per week on the Tallinn-Stockholm line, the St. Petersburg line is still closed, and we have had no cruise ship calls this summer. In the summer period, the number of passengers recovered somewhat compared to the sharp decline in Q2, but in the first 9 months we still reached only half of the volume of the first 9 months of the previous year,” said Kalm.
Cargo volume by type of cargo in the third quarter and 9 months of 2020, the number of passengers by route, vessel calls in the harbours of Tallinna Sadam, and the number of charter days of the icebreaker Botnica are presented in the following table:
| Q3 2020 | Q3 2019 | Change | 9M 2020 | 9M 2019 | Change | |
| Cargo volume by type of cargo (th tonnes) | 5 301 | 4 275 | 24,0% | 15 537 | 14 284 | 8,8% |
| Liquid bulk | 1 911 | 1 116 | 71,3% | 6 627 | 5 161 | 28,4% |
| Ro-ro | 1 416 | 1 352 | 4,8% | 4 098 | 4 038 | 1,5% |
| Dry bulk | 1 416 | 1 245 | 13,8% | 3 130 | 3 201 | -2,2% |
| Containers | 461 | 447 | 3,2% | 1 350 | 1 395 | -3,2% |
| in TEUs | 53 432 | 56 340 | -5,2% | 157 897 | 169 636 | -6,9% |
| General cargo | 86 | 113 | -23,2% | 320 | 486 | -34,2% |
| Non-marine | 10 | 3 | 243,3% | 12 | 4 | 244,9% |
| Number of passengers by routes (th) | 1 620 | 3 600 | -55,0% | 3 703 | 8 297 | -55,4% |
| Tallinn-Helsinki | 1 518 | 2 779 | -45,4% | 3 401 | 6 747 | -49,6% |
| Tallinn-Stockholm | 2 | 299 | -99,4% | 138 | 715 | -80,7% |
| Muuga-Vuosaari | 45 | 56 | -19,5% | 88 | 78 | 13,2% |
| Tallinn-St.Petersburg | 0 | 31 | -100,0% | 0 | 59 | -100,0% |
| Cruise (traditional) | 0 | 400 | -100,0% | 0 | 641 | -100,0% |
| Other | 55 | 35 | 55,3% | 75 | 57 | 32,7% |
| Number of vessel calls by vessel type | 2 123 | 2 290 | -7,3% | 5 320 | 5 961 | -10,8% |
| Cargo vessels | 426 | 453 | -6,0% | 1 243 | 1 357 | -8,4% |
| Passenger vessels (incl. Ro-Pax) | 1 697 | 1 627 | 4,3% | 4 077 | 4 268 | -4,5% |
| Cruise vessels (traditional) | 0 | 210 | -100,0% | 0 | 336 | -100,0% |
| Ferries* (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa lines) | ||||||
| Passengers (th) | 879 | 925 | -4,9% | 1 560 | 1 932 | -19,2% |
| Vehicles (th) | 389 | 377 | 3,1% | 740 | 830 | -10,8% |
| Icebreaker Botnica | ||||||
| Charter days | 92 | 92 | 0,0% | 207 | 205 | 1,0% |
*Ferry traffic volumes show the general demand for the service, but do not directly affect the financial results of the ferry segment, as the fee is fixed in the service contract regardless of the number of passengers and vehicles served.
More detailed statistics of passengers by nationality, gender and routes on monthly basis, can be viewed on the Tallinna Sadam web page: https://www.ts.ee/en/statistics/. We now also publish quarterly key figures 2014-2020 in xlsx format: https://www.ts.ee/en/investor/key-figures/
Detailed statistics on the number of passengers and vehicles on passenger ferries: https://www.praamid.ee/wp/statistics/
Tallinna Sadam is one of the largest cargo- and passenger port complexes in the Baltic Sea region, which in 2019 serviced 10.64 million passengers and 19.9 million tons of cargo. In addition to passenger and freight services, Tallinna Sadam group also operates in shipping business via its subsidiaries – OÜ TS Laevad provides ferry services between the Estonian mainland and the largest islands, and OÜ TS Shipping charters its multifunctional vessel Botnica for icebreaking and construction services in Estonia and offshore projects abroad. Tallinna Sadam group is also a shareholder of an associate AS Green Marine, which provides waste management services. According to audited financial results, Tallinna Sadam group’s sales in 2019 totaled EUR 130.5 million, adjusted EBITDA EUR 74.3 million and net profit EUR 44.4 million.
Additional information:
Marju Zirel
Head of Investor Relations
Tel. +372 5342 6591
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Tallinn, ESTONIA