In 2021 Q2, 5.9 million tonnes of cargo and 596 thousand passengers passed through the harbours of Tallinna Sadam. Compared to the same period of previous year, the cargo volume increased by 9% and the number of passengers by 12%. The number of vessel calls grew by 14% to 1836 calls. The number of passengers travelling between the Estonian mainland and the main islands increased by 55% and the number of vehicles by 51%; and the number of charter days of the icebreaker Botnica stayed at the same level as in the previous, utility rate of the vessel was 26%.
According to Marko Raid, CFO and the member of the management board of Tallinna Sadam, the total cargo volume showed strong growth again, which was mainly supported by dry bulk and ro-ro cargo. "The growth of dry bulk was mainly brought about by the handling of fertilizers and grain. The volume of ro-ro cargo continued to grow due to the increase in the number and frequency of liner vessel calls, primarily on the Muuga-Vuosaari route and due to the growth in demand of road transport. At the same time, the previous year's cargo volume base was somewhat lower than usual due to the negative effects of the onset of the pandemic on production and supply chains,” noted Raid.
The volume of liquid bulk as the largest cargo type decreased slightly in Q2 and six months; general market trends did not change significantly in the second quarter. "A large part of the region's liquid cargo passes through Russia's own ports, and for the rest we are in close competition with many other ports. The volume of container cargo increased in both tons and container units despite major disruptions in the global supply chains of container flows and a significant increase in the price of container transport," said Raid.
The number of passengers increased by 12% in the second quarter but decreased by 54% in the first half of the year due to the continuing movement restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and a reduction in people's confidence and travel due to the instable situation. Compared to the previous year, the number of passengers was higher in May and April, but again significantly lower in June. In 2020, the Finnish-Estonian border was opened to tourists without restrictions already in the middle of June, but this year the restrictions on labor migration were applied by Finland until 7 June and the border was opened to tourists on 21 June, but with significant restrictions. "However, we are more optimistic about the summer months of the third quarter, as the Tallinn-Stockholm route will be reopened today and the first cruise ship visits have already taken place, to which we expect addition as the cruise season continues," Raid explained.
The volumes of passenger ferries show that people travelled significantly more to the Estonian islands this year than before - partly because no domestic movement restrictions similar to 2020 were imposed. The icebreaker Botnica continued on the same course as last year and left for Canada at the end of June for summer work near Baffin Island.
The operational volumes of Tallinna Sadam group for 2021 Q2 and 6 months:
| Q2 2021 | Q2 2020 | Change | 6M 2021 | 6M 2020 | Change | |
| Cargo volume by type of cargo (th tonnes) | 5 893 | 5 421 | 8,7% | 11 168 | 10 235 | 9,1% |
| Liquid bulk | 2 352 | 2 555 | -7,9% | 4 420 | 4 716 | -6,3% |
| Ro-ro | 1 677 | 1 349 | 24,4% | 3 219 | 2 682 | 20,0% |
| Dry bulk | 1 259 | 947 | 33,0% | 2 361 | 1 714 | 37,8% |
| Containers | 483 | 432 | 12,0% | 926 | 888 | 4,2% |
| in TEUs | 57 826 | 53 956 | 7,2% | 109 932 | 104 465 | 5,2% |
| General cargo | 120 | 137 | -12,3% | 242 | 234 | 3,5% |
| Non-marine | 0 | 2 | - | 0 | 2 | - |
| Number of passengers by routes (th) | 596 | 531 | 12,3% | 969 | 2 083 | -53,5% |
| Tallinn-Helsinki | 545 | 489 | 11,4% | 878 | 1 883 | -53,4% |
| Tallinn-Stockholm | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 136 | -100,0% |
| Muuga-Vuosaari | 32 | 28 | 12,8% | 62 | 43 | 42,1% |
| Tallinn-St.Petersburg | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| Cruise (traditional) | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| Other | 20 | 13 | 46,0% | 29 | 20 | 44,7% |
| Number of vessel calls by vessel type | 1 836 | 1 612 | 13,9% | 3 514 | 3 197 | 9,9% |
| Cargo vessels | 436 | 440 | -0,9% | 795 | 817 | -2,7% |
| Passenger vessels (incl. Ro-Pax) | 1 400 | 1 172 | 19,5% | 2 719 | 2 380 | 14,2% |
| Cruise vessels (traditional) | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| Ferries* (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa lines) | ||||||
| Passengers (th) | 584 | 377 | 54,7% | 853 | 681 | 25,3% |
| Vehicles (th) | 297 | 197 | 50,8% | 455 | 351 | 29,5% |
| Icebreaker Botnica | ||||||
| Charter days | 24 | 24 | 0,0% | 114 | 115 | -0,9% |
| Utility rate (%) | 26% | 26% | 0 | 63% | 63% | 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 in xlsx format: https://www.ts.ee/en/investor/key-figures/
Tallinna Sadam is one of the largest cargo- and passenger port complexes in the Baltic Sea region, which serves annually 10 million passengers and 20 million tons of cargo in average. 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. The group’s sales in 2020 totalled EUR 107.4 million, adjusted EBITDA EUR 58.4 million and profit EUR 28.5 million.
Additional information:
Marju Zirel
Head of Investor Relations
Tel. +372 5342 6591
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