7.8% rise in transport volumes on the Germany-Denmark-Sweden core market up to the end of April 2005 / Scandinavia and Western Europe now reachable even more quickly via Rostock

The German-Danish shipping company Scandlines AG was once again able to substantially increase its cargo business on the routes in the triangle between Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the first four months of this year.
Up to the end of April 2005, a total of approximately 278,000 trucks and trailers were carried on the most important services, i.e. Puttgarden-Rødby, Rostock-Gedser, Rostock-Trelleborg, Sassnitz-Trelleborg and Helsingør-Helsingborg, for example, corresponding to almost 22,000 units (+7.8%) more than in the same period of the previous year, the company announced on the occasion of the International Transport & Logistics Trade Fair in Munich.

The front runners in the increased transport figures are the direct links with Sweden via Rostock and Sassnitz as well as the Rostock-Gedser crossing. All three of these Scandlines routes are benefiting from the progressive completion of the A20 highway. Since mid-December last year, the Port of Rostock, for instance, can now be reached in up to 40 minutes less time by truck via the A20 following completion of the link with the A1 near Hamburg.
  
The highest growth rates were achieved on the direct Scandlines routes to Sweden, i.e. Rostock-Trelleborg and Sassnitz-Trelleborg, with more than 59,000 trucks and trailers (+27%) transported up to the end of April.
However, a rise of over 15% was also achieved on the Rostock-Gedser service with more than 26,000 units conveyed. Forwarding and logistics companies benefit additionally from the faster crossing between Germany and Denmark on this route. Following extensive modernisation of the ferry vessels and further optimisation of the port logistics, the Scandlines ferries have been able to reduce the crossing time between Rostock und Gedser to just 105 minutes at 2-hour intervals as from February 2005.

On the Puttgarden-Rødby and Helsingør-Helsingborg lines, Scandlines has been able to increase cargo volumes by 4.1% and 1.8% respectively.

“We anticipate a further rise in cargo volumes on our routes between Western Europe and Scandinavia for 2005”, says Uwe Bakosch, CFO at Scandlines AG. “The need for fast cargo links across the Baltic Sea will continue to grow in the future. Transport flows are shifting towards the east to an ever greater extent through EU enlargement, the foreseeable completion of the A20 highway and the increasing demand for shorter Baltic Sea crossings. Transit transport via Poland and through Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will grow at above-average levels over the next 10 years.”

“Our strength lies in the fact that we presently cover the growing links across the Baltic Sea with the most extensive route network in the Baltic and extremely high departure frequency levels, and will continue to do so in the future. Scandlines offers the European transport industry an ever-more optimum complement to its logistical process chains in the traffic corridors between the economic centres of Europe. Excellent hinterland links and extra services for even more value-added in the process chain are our most important objectives for the future, with Scandlines already having attained a good position on the North-South axis in this regard. In relation to East-West traffic, we are working intensively on the further consolidation and establishment of hubs”, says Michael Berger, Marketing & Sales Cargo Manager.

The Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy and the German rail company, Deutschen Bahn AG, each have a 50% holding in Scandlines AG, which is based in Rostock. The company employs a workforce of approximately 2,600 in Germany and Denmark.

Rostock, 31 May 2005