In English (3.67 MB) - Finnlines

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TransRussiaExpress (TRE) the rock in the surf for sustainability of utmost reliability for Russia for so many years Building a successful shipping business is about having the foresight to identify an opportunity, and the confidence to stand by your belief through good times and bad. In the Baltic, there is surely no better example of this maxim at work than Finnlines’ TransRussiaExpress (TRE) service. MS Translubeca in Kiel before the service was moved to Lübeck in 2002 & MS Transrussia serving the route Kiel-St. Petersburg Photos: Finnlines archive TRE was an immediate hit with its customers when it was launched as a direct ro-ro liner service between Kiel and St. Petersburg in February 1997. Fourteen years on, it has developed into a thriving business, with modern ships carrying cargo and an increasing number of passengers on a growing network of routings. 12 Bumpy road to success The years since the inauguration of the service were not always easy, however. Indeed, it has been a slightly bumpy road from there to here, and it has required determination and self-belief to get this far. When TRE’s journey began, though, it was all downhill. The service debuted with two old Russian quarter-ramp ro-ros with capacity of 950 lane metres, and developed so fast that it was soon operating up to five ships with a total weekly capacity of 4,750 lm in both directions. The first bump in the road came in August, 1998, when Russia’s economic collapse saw volumes in what had been a profitable service plunge 75 per cent almost overnight. Finnlines and its then-partner TransLog (former BTS) kept the service running nonetheless, even if with only two ships, and slowly the market recovered. By 2000, they were investing again. The next-generation ro-pax Translubeca, with capacity for 1,750 lm of rolling cargo and 84 passengers, was deployed on the route alongside the older 950 lm Transrussia. The addition of other Finnlines ships and chartered tonnage later boosted capacity to 6,750 lm per week, while in 2002 the service was moved from Kiel to Lübeck. New vessels and ports of call added The global economic crisis that hit home in late 2008, however, delivered another blow to the service, with cargo volumes dropping abruptly by 70 per cent, this at a time when the Naplesbased Grimaldi Group had just taken over Finnlines. Undaunted, the new owners continued to invest in developing the service. Since then, it has moved towards a full ro-pax service with the addition in February, 2009, of the Transeuropa, with its capacity for 3,200 lm and 124 passengers. The service has grown steadily over the last two years, and is now served by three vessels: Transeuropa and its sister ship Transrussia, formerly Finnhansa, and the smaller Translubeca, for a total of 8,000 lm per week. The service, which also calls at Sassnitz, has been expanded recently, with two
weekly calls at the Latvian port of Ventspils added in August. It is now fully booked sailing eastbound and fast picking up volumes westbound, with shipments of paper from Kotka to Lübeck and trucks out of Ventspils both contributing healthy volumes. The 332 passenger places on the service have also spurred growth on that side of the business. More ports linked to the service Further expansion is on the cards in line with an expected boom in trade through St. Petersburg. Grimaldi this year began linking several other services from his far-flung network into the TransRussiaExpress system, and Bilbao, is now connected via Antwerp and Helsinki to St. Petersburg and Hull and Immingham via Helsinki to St.Petersburg. These moves will not only help develop the Russian market but link TRE customers to the wider Grimaldi network in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Americas. Fourteen years on, and despite a few bumps in the road, TRE still has the look of a winner. Finnlines also with more focus on Russia – Inauguration Party held on 19.10.2010 in St. Petersburg An inauguration party was held in St. Petersburg in order to celebrate the two shipping services, Finnlines’ new weekly liner connections from Bilbao to St. Petersburg via Antwerp and Helsinki and from Hull to St. Petersburg via Helsinki. The guests included representatives from politics, authorities from the ports of Antwerp, Hull, Helsinki and St. Petersburg and potential customers. The launch of new services is opening a new era in knitting Russia more closely From left to right: Luis Gabiola, Operation & International Development Manager Port Bilbao, Uwe Bakosch, President/CEO, Finnlines Plc, Eddy Bruyninckx, Managing Director of the port of Antwerp, José Ramon de la Fuente Arteagabeitia, Chairman/President of the Port of Bilbao Authority, Amaia Sarasola, Commercial Manager Port Bilbao, Luc Hens, Managing Director, Finnlines Belgium NV, Joachim Coens, President of the port of Zeebrugge. into the fast expanding Finnlines/Grimaldi network. New lines are complimenting the successful operation of TransRussiaExpress from Lübeck to St. Petersburg via Sassnitz-Mukran. The guests also noted that the opening of new connections is a decisive step of the Finnlines/Grimaldi Group’s engagement towards expanding Russian markets. TransRussiaExpress Passengers & ro-ro service FINNLINES BRANCH-OFFICES AGENTS GERMANY Lübeck tre.linesmanagement@ finnlines.com Phone +49 (0)451 1507 140 Fax +49 (0)451 1507 139 RUSSIA St. Petersburg info.ru@finnlines.com Phone +7 812 680 10 70 Fax +7 812 680 10 69 Finland Helsinki sales.fi@finnlines.com Phone +358 10 343 50 Fax +358 10 343 5200 GERMANY Latvia Sassnitz FRACHTCONTOR JUNGE & CO. agency.sas@frachtcontor.de Phone +49 (0)38392 55390 Fax +49 (0)38392 55405 Ventspils Silver Star Agencies SIA tre@silvers.lv Phone +371 63 627 107 Fax +371 63 627 108 RUSSIA St. Petersburg TRANSLOG LLC cargobooking@baltics.ru Phone +7 812 380 3470 Fax +7 812 380 3471 Loading country Discharging country Loading port Discharging port Departure Arrival Germany Latvia Lübeck Ventspils Wed 19:00 Fri 24:00 Lübeck Ventspils Fri 17:00 Sat 19:00 Sassnitz Ventspils Thu 7:15 Fri 24:00 Germany Russia Lübeck St. Petersburg Wed 19:00 Sat 8:00 Lübeck St. Petersburg Fri 17:00 Mon 8:00 Lübeck St. Petersburg Sat 20:00 Tue 8:00 Sassnitz St. Petersburg Thu 7:15 Sat 8:00 Sassnitz St. Petersburg Sun 7:00 Tue 9:00 Latvia Russia Ventspils St. Petersburg Fri 4:00 Sat 8:00 Ventspils St. Petersburg Sat 21:00 Mon 8:00 Russia Germany St. Petersburg Lübeck Mon 20:00 Thu 8:00 St. Petersburg Lübeck Wed 20:00 Sat 7:00 St. Petersburg Lübeck Sat 20:00 Tue 7:00 St. Petersburg Sassnitz Sat 20:00 Mon 17:00 Russia Latvia St. Petersburg Ventspils Mon 20:00 Tue 22:00 St. Petersburg Ventspils Sat 20:00 Sun 22:00 Latvia Germany Ventspils Lübeck Tue 24:00 Thu 8:00 Ventspils Lübeck Mon 24:00 Tue 7:00 Ventspils Sassnitz Mon 24:00 Mon 17:00
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In English (3.67 MB) - Finnlines

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