Tallink Grupp has today published its 2020 fourth quarter and December passenger and cargo statistics, which reveal the total impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company’s annual passenger, vehicle and cargo transport statistics.

Unsurprisingly, the year saw Tallink Grupp’s total passenger number decrease by 61.8%, with the company transporting a total of 3 732 102 passengers on all its different routes during the year (a total of 9 763 210 in 2019). Passenger numbers decreased on all the company’s routes, with several of the routes suspended for long periods during the year due to travel restrictions and states of emergency. The biggest drop in the passenger numbers took place on the Latvia-Sweden route (82.5% less passengers in 2020 compared to 2019) and on the Estonia-Sweden routes (81.9% less passengers in 2020 compared to 2019), where regular passenger traffic was either completely  or partly suspended since March 2020. Passenger numbers on the Finland-Sweden routes also decreased in 2020 by 66.1% compared to 2019 and on the Estonia-Finland routes by 52.3% compared to 2019.

The number of passenger vehicles transported in 2020 decreased overall by 36.7% across all the group’s routes, with the biggest drop evident again on the fully or partially suspended Latvia-Sweden and Estonia-Sweden routes.

Despite the many challenges during the year, the company transported a total of 359 811 units of cargo during 2020, which is only 5.2% less than during the full year 2019. The company even managed to increase the number of cargo units transported on the Estonia-Finland routes by 1% during the year compared to 2019, although less cargo was carried on all the other company routes compared to the year before.

„The statistics will not be a surprise to anyone as we have shared our updates and statistics throughout the year and have been completely open about the impact of the global pandemic on our business,“ Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp, said commenting on the results.

„Considering the periodic total lock-downs and travel restrictions that have been in place since March 2020, only slightly easing for 2 months during last summer, the company has weathered this storm as well as possible. We have done everything in our power to think on our feet, react, change, innovate and prioritise everyone’s safety at the same time to ensure we continue to sail in 2021 and beyond. We have also done everything in our power to preserve and protect the assets of our investors and shareholders to the maximum extent,“ Nõgene added.

„Although we didn’t achieve the ambitious growth targets we had set for ourselves for the passenger and cargo transport for last year, what we did achieve is far more important and that is keeping people and vital goods moving between our key markets during an extremely challenging time, giving families and loved ones the chance to reunite when it mattered the most, ensuring our shelves remained stocked up with goods moving, and during the brief summer months in 2020 a small respite from a locked-down world and hope for the future. And most importantly and as our greatest achievement – we are still here, still sailing, still making plans for a better future. Yes, we are slightly battered and bruised and our ranks are reduced, but we are ready to carry on our battle through the storms and are determined to begin the road to recovery in 2021,“ Nõgene commented.

„I would like to thank every single one of our customers for using our services in 2020 and every single employee for providing those services, ensuring Tallink Grupp stays strong and continues to sail on our beautiful Baltic Sea for many more years to come,“ Nõgene concluded.