Eckerö Line: record passenger and freight volumes in the third quarter of 2024

Eckerö Line published information today on the development of its operations in January–September 2024. The passenger volume and freight business of the 30-year-old Eckerö Line developed strongly, especially in the third quarter of the year, when passenger and freight volumes broke records.

Eckerö Line, which operates the Helsinki-Tallinn route, increased its passenger volume by almost + 6% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same time in 2023. The number of passengers broke the company's previous records in June, July and August as well. In January–September, Eckerö Line transported a total of close to 1.6 million passengers on its route (m/s Finlandia was out of service for almost 5 weeks due to docking in January–February 2024).

"The development in 2024 has been very positive, and we are particularly pleased that passenger records have been broken. Customer experience and customer satisfaction are key factors in our business. Another proof that we have succeeded, in addition to the passenger record, is that Finnish passengers voted Eckerö Line first for the second year in a row in a survey measuring customer satisfaction in shipping between Finland and Estonia", says Eckerö Line CEO Taru Keronen. The result is part of EPSI Rating’s 2024 industry research on ship travel. 

"When the business is located in the Baltic Sea, sustainable shipping is a prerequisite for operations. During m/s Finlandia's extensive docking at the beginning of the year, the ship's rudder and propeller arrangements were renewed to reduce fuel consumption. As a result, m/s Finlandia's fuel consumption during the first six months of 2024 has decreased by more than 12% compared to the corresponding time in 2023", Keronen rejoices.

The company's freight market share has continued to grow in 2024. Due to m/s Finlandia's almost five-week long docking at the beginning of the year, the growth has largely taken place during the third quarter of the year. The market share in July–September was just over 44% (compared to 39% in July–September 2023).

Of all the cargo transported by Eckerö Line, 60% already goes from the port of Vuosaari to Muuga in Estonia. Eckerö Line ships carry a wide variety of cargo, such as mail, convenience goods, industrial components and fuel.

"The Vuosaari–Muuga route has continued to grow in popularity. M/s Finbo Cargo, which operates from Vuosaari, also transports car passengers and the occupancy rate is very high. The route from Vuosaari helps to avoid traffic congestions in the city centres of Helsinki and Tallinn," says Keronen.

At the beginning of the year, two of the Group’s vessels – m/s Finlandia, operating between Finland and Estonia, and m/s Eckerö, operating between Åland and Sweden – underwent significant renovations. As a result, the number of departures during the first half of the year decreased by 6% compared to the previous year. Despite the dockings, passenger numbers reached record highs on both the Finland–Estonia and Åland–Sweden routes.

The Group's revenue for January–September amounted to €171.7 million, which is in line with the corresponding period in 2023 (€171.5 million). The operating profit for the period January–September was €20.3 million (€20.5 million).