AS Tallink Grupp Audited Annual Report of the 2022 Financial Year

Dear shareholdersFor the third year in a row, we are starting the review of the previous year with the message “It was an unprecedented year in the history of our business.” While in 2021 this was due to the pandemic and its impacts, 2022 brought with it a new kind of evil and different challenges with war breaking out in Europe, which Tallink has not experienced in such proximity during its 33-year history. Before 24 February 2022, pandemic restrictions were lifting for the first time in...

Tallinn, 03/04/2023 (informazione.it - comunicati stampa - turismo)

Dear shareholders

For the third year in a row, we are starting the review of the previous year with the message “It was an unprecedented year in the history of our business.” While in 2021 this was due to the pandemic and its impacts, 2022 brought with it a new kind of evil and different challenges with war breaking out in Europe, which Tallink has not experienced in such proximity during its 33-year history.

Before 24 February 2022, pandemic restrictions were lifting for the first time in nearly two years, borders were fully opening, passengers were returning to our vessels and hotels, and hope was shining bright for the year ahead that was going to see a rapid recovery of business. And recovery we did indeed see, although it was somewhat dampened by the war, particularly in the first half of the year, and the geopolitical and economic turbulence that echoed across the globe as a result.

With the above in mind, the results of the Group's and all its employees' efforts should be considered rather remarkable. The fact that despite everything, we were still able to continue this path of recovery throughout the year and cross the line back into the black with our financial result by the end of the year, speaks volumes of the perseverance of the people who work for Tallink, the loyalty of the customers who travel with Tallink and the faith of the people who have continued to invest in Tallink. And for this, I thank you all.

It is clear that in global history, the year 2022 will mostly be remembered for the start of the war in Ukraine. For nearly a year already, Tallink has played its part in the relief effort to support the millions of displaced Ukrainians, both through free transport for refugees on our vessels and free transport of essential humanitarian aid, but also through providing shelter to thousands of Ukrainian refugees on two of our vessels, on Isabelle in Tallinn and on Victoria I in Edinburgh. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, more than 5 000 Ukrainian refugees had found temporary shelter on the vessel Isabelle. Tallink will continue its support to the governments as long as it is needed with the temporary accommodation, the contracts of which have undeniably also helped and supported Tallink Grupp during the period when passenger numbers are still recovering, and alternative work was necessary for our vessels not currently in regular traffic.

The year, of course, was not all dark clouds and no silver linings. Passenger numbers nearly doubled year on year to 5.5 million by the end of 2022, onboard spending per passenger increased compared to previous years, there was significant interest in our vessels for hire, which led to a number of charters and charter extensions, and the icing on the cake, of course, was the arrival of our newest fleet member and the most modern vessel on the Baltic sea – MyStar – in December. All this has laid a strong foundation to build on in 2023.

The year ahead will see us continuing to focus on the rebuild and recovery of our core routes between Estonia, Finland and Sweden, and ensuring an optimal growth of these core routes in the future. We will pay close attention to the passenger numbers and occupancy levels of the ships in regular traffic, and we are not afraid to make changes in our operations if there is a clear need to do so. We will also continue to monitor the need for short- and long-term vessel chartering and, if the timing and opportunity are right, we will carry on with the successful chartering projects, which have helped us keep our nose above water during the COVID-19 years and thereafter.

We will certainly also keep our sights on the more distant future beyond 2023, which will no doubt bring new opportunities and challenges. As we develop future strategies, these will have a stronger focus than ever before on sustainability. With new environmental regulations and directives, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and amendments to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) taking effect in the very near future, we are already today reassessing the impact we have on the world around us and the impact the world has on our business, and are taking the steps to reduce the negative impacts of our operations. We are, in many ways, on the verge of a new tomorrow and making sure we are ready for this, is essential for our long-term future.

Dear investors, customers, employees - I thank you once again for your faith, loyalty and dedication to Tallink Grupp and everything we do and stand for. I promise, on behalf of our Management Board and everyone within the Group, that we will continue working hard in 2023 and beyond to ensure your faith, loyalty and dedication to us is rewarded many times over in the years to come.

Yours sincerely,

Paavo Nõgene
Chairman of the Management Board

AS Tallink Grupp Audited   Annual   Report of the 2022 Financial   Year

In the 2022 financial year (1 January – 31 December), AS Tallink Grupp and its subsidiaries (the Group) carried 5.5 million passengers, which is 84.4% more than in the financial year 2021. The number of cargo units transported increased by 11.0% compared to the previous financial year.

The Group's audited consolidated revenue amounted to EUR 771.4 million (EUR 476.9 million in 2021), up by 61.7%. Revenue from route operations (core business) increased by EUR 236.4 million to EUR 629.0 million compared to the financial year 2021.

The audited EBITDA was EUR 135.8 million (EUR 58.3 million in 2021) and the audited net profit for the period was EUR 13.9 million (net loss of EUR 56.6 million in the financial year 2021).

The following operational factors impacted the Group's revenue and operating results in the financial year 2022:

  Key figures

¹ Alternative performance measures based on ESMA guidelines are disclosed in the “Alternative performance measures” section of the report.
Does not include additions to right-of-use assets.

Sales and segments

In 2022, the Group's total revenue increased by EUR 294.5 million to EUR 771.4 million. Total revenue in 2021 was EUR 476.9 million.

Revenue from route operations (core business) increased by EUR 236.4 million to EUR 629.0 million compared to the financial year 2021.

In 2022, the Group's ships carried a total of 3.1 million passengers on the Estonia-Finland route, up by 76.9% year-on-year. The number of transported cargo units increased by 19.0%. The revenue from the Estonia-Finland route increased by EUR 93.3 million to EUR 277.8 million. The segment result improved by EUR 39.7 million to EUR 51.7 million. The segment reflects the operations of two shuttle vessels, one cruise ferry, and one cargo vessel. Shuttle vessel MyStar was added to the Estonia-Finland route in mid-December 2022. The cruise ferry Silja Europa stopped operating on the Tallinn-Helsinki route in August 2022 due to a charter agreement. The cargo vessel Sea Wind was sold at the end of April 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the route was operated by two shuttle vessels.

The number of passengers almost doubled on Finland-Sweden routes amounting to 1.9 million in 2022. The number of transported cargo units decreased by 9.9%. The routes' revenue increased by EUR 115.6 million to EUR 274.3 million and the segment result improved by EUR 14.6 million to a loss of EUR 1.0 million. The segment reflects the operations of two cruise ferries on the Turku-Stockholm and two cruise ferries on the Helsinki-Stockholm route. Starting from the fourth quarter of 2022 the Turku-Kapellskär route was only operated by one cruise ferry as the cruise ferry Galaxy stopped operating on the route from September 2022 due to a charter agreement.

On Estonia-Sweden routes the number of carried passengers almost doubled compared to 2021 amounting to 0.5 million. The number of transported cargo units remained at the same level as a year earlier. The revenue of Estonia-Sweden routes increased by EUR 27.8 million to EUR 76.8 million and net loss increased by EUR 4.0 million to EUR 11.0 million. Estonia-Sweden routes reflect the operation of two cargo vessels and one cruise ferry as well as expenses related to the suspended cruise ferry Victoria I until the ferry was chartered out.

Revenue from the segment other increased by a total of EUR 61.9 million and amounted to EUR 147.4 million. The increase was mainly driven by chartering out vessels, accommodation sales, opening of Burger King restaurants and to a lesser extent by various retail activities. Additionally, items previously reported under the geographical segment Latvia-Sweden routes are also included in the segment other as the Latvia-Sweden route was not operated in 2022 and the amounts are below the materiality threshold.

Restaurant and shop sales on board and on shore in the total amount of EUR 378.2 million (EUR 233.4 million in 2021) contributed almost half of total revenue. Ticket sales amounted to EUR 191.9 million (EUR 99.1 million in 2021) and sales of cargo transport to EUR 103.2 million (EUR 94.8 million in 2021).

Earnings

In 2022, the Group's gross profit grew more than four-fold compared to previous financial year amounting to EUR 113.5 million. EBITDA increased by EUR 77.5 million and amounted to EUR 135.8 million.

The Group's profitability was mainly influenced by the following factors:

The Group's audited net profit for 2022 was EUR 13.9 million or EUR 0.019 per share compared to a net loss of EUR 56.6 million or EUR 0.081 per share in 2021.

The cost of goods sold at shops and restaurants, which is the largest operating cost item, amounted to EUR 160.6 million (EUR 110.5 million in 2021).

Fuel costs for 2022 amounted to EUR 144.1 million (EUR 72.2 million in 2021). Fuel costs were impacted by an increase in global prices. As a result, annual fuel costs increased by 99.5%. The Group makes continuous efforts to improve and optimise its day-to-day operations and lower the fleet's fuel costs.

The Group's total personnel expenses amounted to EUR 162.9 million (EUR 124.0 million in 2021). Staff costs related to administrative staff and sales and marketing staff were EUR 23.3 million and EUR 19.6 million, respectively (EUR 21.2 million and EUR 16.8 million, respectively, in 2021). The staff costs related to servicing and technical personnel amounted to EUR 120.0 million compared to EUR 86.1 million in 2021. The average number of employees in 2022 was 5 023 (4 360 in 2021).

Marketing and administrative expenses for the period amounted to EUR 74.3 million (EUR 62.1 million in 2021). Excluding personnel, administrative expenses for the period amounted to EUR 14.1 million and sales and marketing expenses to EUR 17.3 million (EUR 13.5 million and EUR 10.5 million, respectively, in 2021).

Amortisation and depreciation expense increased by EUR 2.8 million to EUR 98.1 million compared to 2021. There were no impairment losses related to the Group's property, plant and equipment and intangible assets.

As a result of growth in interest-bearing liabilities, net finance costs increased by EUR 2.8 million year-on-year to EUR 24.7 million.

Liquidity and cash flow

The Group's net operating cash flow for 2022 was positive at EUR 144.3 million (EUR 59.4 million in 2021).

Net cash used in investing activities was EUR 200.3 million (EUR 19.4 million in 2021).

In 2022, the Group's loan repayments totalled EUR 110.1 million (EUR 14.7 million in 2021). Interest payments were EUR 23.5 million (EUR 19.3 million in 2021). The payment of previously postponed principal payments under existing loan agreements restarted in the second quarter of 2022.

At 31 December 2022, the Group's cash and cash equivalents totalled EUR 114.9 million (EUR 127.6 million on 31 December 2021). In addition, available unused overdraft credit lines amounted to EUR 135.0 million (EUR 134.8 million in 2021). The total liquidity buffer (cash, cash equivalents and unused credit facilities) amounted to EUR 249.9 million on 31 December 2022 (EUR 262.4 million on 31 December 2021).

In December 2022, the Group drew a EUR 196.3 million loan from KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH Ltd. to finance the purchase of the EUR 252 million shuttle vessel MyStar. The long-term loan was drawn at the delivery of the shuttle vessel and the maturity of the fixed interest rate loan is twelve years. In management's opinion, the Group has sufficient liquidity to support its operations. 

Consolidated   statement of profit   or loss and other   comprehensive   income

Consolidated   statement of financial   position

Consolidated   statement of cash   flows

Anneli Simm
Investor Relations Coordinator

AS Tallink Grupp
Sadama 5
10111 Tallinn
E-mail Anneli.simm@tallink.ee

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