Finnish RoRo and passenger services operator Finnlines, part of the Grimaldi Group, revealed plans to order more environmentally-friendly ships.
The new order would follow a number of initiatives launched by the company to promote environmental sustainability, including the order of three new RoRo vessels.
“Further resources will be invested in a new series of modern large green RoPax vessels to be delivered in a 3-4 years time span,” Emanuele Grimaldi, President and CEO, announced.
“Finnlines has made a whole series of concrete investments and actions to promote environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. These actions include scrubber installations on 21 ships, slow steaming, fleet changes and route optimisation, fuel monitoring, hull silicon treatments, propulsion improvement and vessel lengthening investments, developing multiple newbuilding projects aimed at reducing fleet emission/ton footprint,” Grimaldi said.
“Already a decade ago, we were forerunners when we invested over EUR 1 billion into very modern fleet and as reported in spring, we have ordered three modern and green ro-ro vessels to add up further 17,500 lane metres to our services. This way we continue our efforts on further improving our operational and environmental efficiency and invest around EUR 200 million in these technologically and environmentally advanced 5,800 lane meters ro-ro vessels,” he added.
Finnlines unveiled new investment plans in its financial results for the period from January to September 2018. During the nine-month period, the company’s result increased to EUR 75.3 million from EUR 67.8 million seen in the corresponding period a year earlier.
What is more, revenue rose to EUR 447.9 million in the first three quarters of 2018 from EUR 404.5 million posted in the same period of 2017.
The cargo volumes transported during January–September totaled approximately 575 (530 in 2017) thousand cargo units, 114 (101) thousand cars (not including passengers’ cars) and 933 (962) thousand tons of freight not possible to measure in units. In addition, some 530 (496) thousand private and commercial passengers were transported.
During the third quarter, Finnlines operated on average 20 vessels in its own traffic.
“We are pleased with our current progress both operationally and financially and we are on track to deliver an excellent result – once more – in 2018,” Grimaldi concluded.