Finnlines launches new Baltic services

Finnlines to launch new Baltic services

• New Motorway of the Sea for freight and passengers between Finland and Poland
• New Motorway of the Sea for freight and passengers between Poland and Germany
• Upgrade to 10 weekly departures on the Helsinki-Travemünde Motorway of the Sea
• New weekly ro-pax connection between Helsinki and St. Petersburg
• BalticEuroMed Service: Finnlines Baltic destinations linked to more than 20 Mediterranean ports
• Focus on passengers

Helsinki, 14 May 2009 – Finnlines, the leading ro-ro operator in the Baltic, will start-up on June 1st a set of new, fast, reliable and comfortable Motorways of the Sea for freight and passengers between Finland and Poland (Helsinki-Gdynia-Helsinki) and between Poland and Germany (Gdynia-Travemünde-Gdynia). Each of these new services offers three departures per week in each direction.

At the same time, the company is strengthening further its leadership and the superior quality of services it offers on the key Travemünde-Helsinki-Travemünde (Germany-Finland) trade by increasing to ten the number of weekly sailing. For each of these three Motorways of the Sea the time of departure is always at the same hour of the day, so to simplify the customers' trip planning.

Additionally, as from May 16, Finnlines will offer to all its costumers a wide range of destinations in 13 Mediterranean countries. This has been achieved thanks to the cooperation with Grimaldi Group of Italy, which owns 64.9% of the Finnish operator. The company has also started a new weekly link between Helsinki and St. Petersburg that is interconnected with the services calling all the destinations served by both Finnlines and Grimaldi Lines.

Baltic Motorways of the Sea: Finland-Poland; Finland-Germany; Poland-Germany

All the departures on the Travemünde-Helsinki; Helsinki--Gdynia and Gdynia-Travemünde routes are operated by the five world’s largest ro-ro-passenger ferries (in terms of cargo capacity). The so called "Star Class" ferries can transport up to 4,200 lane metres of rolling cargo (trailers, lorries, busses and cars) and 500 passengers in the maximum comfort and relax offered by 200 cabins.

The 25-knot service speed of the „Five Stars‟ transforms the three maritime links into real bridges across the Baltic. The Helsinki-Gdynia crossing is performed in under 19 hours (compared to more than 26 hours before, when the connection was only for cargo); the direct connection Helsinki-Travemünde is completed in less than 27 hours; sailing time on Gdynia-Travemünde is 15 hours.

While aiming to strengthen its leading position on the transport of ro-ro freight, Finnlines is raising its profile in the passenger sector too by introducing a "low cost" approach, a more aggressive marketing and a more attractive on-board product. Fast connections and the use of the Star Class ferries will cater more and more passengers on the so-called Hansalink Network that connects Finland, Poland and Germany.

Finnlines will benefit from the expertise the Grimaldi Group has in the passenger business through its brands Minoan Lines and Grimaldi Lines, which operate successful passenger services in Eastern and Western Mediterranean, respectively. Passenger bookings: www.finnlines.com or passenger@finnlines.com.

Helsinki-Gdynia – 19 hours

The deployment of the Star Class ships between Finland and Poland marks the substantial increase in quality and the opening of this important route to passengers too. What Finnlines is offering is a total different class of service as it is faster, safer, more economical and more environmentally friendly that any other alternative.

The characteristics of this Motorway of the Sea are such to beat the competition of the road transport using the so-called „Via Baltica‟ land route on their way to or from Helsinki. By boarding the Finnlines ships, drivers save an about 1,000 km drive and reach their destination in only 19 hours rested and relaxed.

Departures from Helsinki to Gdynia are scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, always at 8.30pm, with arrival the following day at 3pm. Northbound, Gdynia to Helsinki the vessels depart at 11 am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arrive 6:45am the following day.

Gdynia-Travemünde

In line with its environmentally-friendly approach and with the support the Grimaldi Group has always given to the European Commission strategy of easing traffic congestion e CO2 emissions through the establishment of new Motorways of the Sea, Finnlines has launched the first existing regular link between Poland and Germany for passengers and rolling freight.

The 15-hours long service performs three departures every week in each direction. In order to stress the environmental benefits it brings Finnlines has launched a 250 euros all inclusive "Ecobonus fare" for all the lorries and trailers using the line.

Travemünde-Helsinki

The largest Motorway of the Sea connecting Germany and Finland across the Baltic Sea has been widened further reaching 10 departures per week in each direction. It offers daily departures from Helsinki‟s Vuosaari harbour at 6pm to reach Travemünde less than 27 hours later. These seven departures are complemented by three more sailings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8:30pm. Northbound, from Travemünde to Helsinki, the daily sailing is at 3am with the additional three departures set on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4pm.

Mediterranean Connection

For the first time ever, as from 16 May, Finnlines offers to all its customers a wide range of destinations in 13 Mediterranean countries: Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Libya, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Israel. On a reversed angle, freight originating in any of the Mediterranean countries can reach any destination in the Baltic

The new weekly BalticEuroMed Service brings together Finnlines' Scandinavian Service and Grimaldi Lines' EuroMed Network. The two services are interconnected at the Swedish port of Wallhamn that is 50% owned by the Grimaldi Group. The BalticEuroMed Service allows Finnlines and Grimaldi Lines to offer to their costumers fast, reliable and safe shipments of any kind of rolling cargo from any destination in the Baltic to any destination in the Mediterranean and vice versa. Russia Earlier this month, Finnlines started a weekly direct connection from Helsinki to St. Petersburg (Russia) for rolling cargo and passenger. The new line has been conceived in order to be able to offer St. Petersburg as a destination port for shipments from both the entire Finnlines network and Grimaldi network. The new port of Helsinki-Vuosaari is the hub to collect cargo from all the destinations and ship them to Russia.

Attached: Speech delivered by Mr Emanuele Grimaldi, President and CEO, Finnlines

Pictures are available upon request at press@finnlines.com
For additional information, please contact: Finnlines: +358 (0)10 343 4402 – e-mail: press@finnlines.com
Information on Passenger Services only: Mr. Kaj Takolander, Executive Vice President, passenger services