AS Tallink Grupp says it transported an ever highest number of passengers in 2016, reaching nearly 9.5 million passengers for the first time in company`s history. One of the largest growths of 7 percent or more than 300 000 people in total was seen on Finland-Estonia route, where the passenger number kept on increasing throughout the year.
CEO of AS Tallink Grupp, Mr Janek Stalmeister said, that the company has and still is building maritime infrastructure, which meets the demand and standards of today and tomorrow. „Travelling trends, free movement of people, good capacity of vessels and flexible schedules are what we have had in mind when building the fleet and services. Sustainable operations are increasingly important for the public, the passengers and investors as well – also here we have made large investments both to the current fleet and in form of the new vessel Megastar “, said Stalmeister.
The total number of passengers travelling with Tallink Grupp ferries in 2016 was 9 457 522, showing the overall increase of 5 percent compared to 8 976 226 passengers in 2015. The passenger numbers increased on Finland-Estonia route by 7 percent to 5 077 985 passengers, on Finland-Sweden routes by 2 percent reaching 2 886 383 passengers and on Estonia-Sweden route the increase was 4 percent to 983 196 passengers. Latvia-Sweden route, which was added a second vessel again in December, the passenger volumes increased by 11 percent to 509 958 people. The number of passenger vehicles increased by 4 percent to 1 167 495 cars in 2016 and the cargo units by 7 percent to 328 190 units showing growth on all company`s routes.
In December, when three vessels were rerouted increasing the capacity and improving the service quality further, the company transported on all routes altogether 767 630 passengers, 87 155 passenger vehicles and 25 742 cargo units.
AS Tallink Grupp is the leading passenger transportation company on the Baltic Sea, operating altogether 13 vessels on 6 routes. In January 2017, Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland will deliver the new generation high speed LNG driven and highly sustainable ferry Megastar designed exclusively for Tallinn-Helsinki route.