RoPax10

INTERVIEW / 37
RoPax: How was the year 2019 for Color
Line?
Helge Otto Mathisen: We continue to
deliver good results for our Owner, but the
high oil prices bring the results down a
little. We have seen a growth in passengers
and in 2019 we also had a very high level
of activity on the ferry services. At the start
of 2019 we introduced the Ro-Ro vessel
“Color Carrier” onto the Kiel – Oslo service
followed by the “Color Hybrid” last
August on the Strömstad – Sandefjord
route and we also introduced new technology
systems. These activities were considerable
in terms of expenditure (money)
and this of course influenced the company’s
results.
RoPax: How do you view the trend that
more and more people from Germany and
other central European countries are visiting
Norway on holiday.
Helge Otto Mathisen: At the moment our
currency is positive for German visitors
and also for Danish people because 100
Danish Kroner is equivalent to more than
130 Norwegian Krone. That also gives us a
little push for increasing passenger figures
as we have a lot of passengers from Norway
to Denmark. A lot of Danish people
also go to Norway for winter holidays. We
are focusing more on the prices than the
growth itself and we will continue to offer
a stable price level. All in all, we have a
growth between Sweden and Norway, we
have a stable volume between Denmark
and Norway and we have a growth from
Germany to Norway. That is very interesting.
We believe Oslo as a short cruise destination
is still very attractive and it is a
growing market for short holidays of 2-3
days. The growth in this city in terms of architecture,
cultural events and new museums
is notable with the likes of the Munch
museum and new National museum becoming
international attractions. In Oslo
there are a lot of nice restaurants, a lot of
concerts and clubs and the prices make it
attractive for Germans to stay here one or
two days to enjoy this developing city. Oslo
is a small city with the ocean at one side,
the mountains and forests at the other side
and in between a modern metropolis.
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RoPax: How was the development of your
cargo traffic
Helge Otto Mathisen: 2019 was a difficult
year in which to boost cargo volumes on
our routes. We saw a very slow start to
2019. But we really believed in Kiel and
Oslo as the main ports and we worked
hard to convince the industry to get the
cargo from road to train and to sea. We
have a large number of customers who
support us, and by the end of 2019 we saw
a light increase in cargo figures. In conjunction
with the introduction of the
“Color Carrier,” we added all of the “Kombiverkehr”
connections to our schedule.
We now have a Color Line train because
we bought the entire capacity of some
freight train services. We now offer direct
freight links by rail from Kiel to Verona
and to six other places three times a week.
We promote the system from road to sea
and train.
RoPax: Do you see the potential in the
forthcoming years to operate a second
Ro-Ro vessel for cargo between Kiel and
Oslo?
Helge Otto Mathisen: Yes, but of course
it depends on the market response of this
effective and environmentally friendly
transport system.
RoPax: Your Cruise Ferries “Color Fantasy”
and “Color Magic” have now been in
service for over 15 years.
Helge Otto Mathisen: They are still very
successful, but we are looking at what
could be the next step. We are always
looking for new and innovating ships to
achieve our vision of being the best short
sea company in Europe with a focus on
sustainable solutions.
RoPax: Thank you very much for the conversatin.
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RoPax 10 / 03.2020