Tallink Grupp

Capital/Financing Update • Feb 27, 2015

Tallink and Meyer Turku signed a Contract for a New Generation LNG powered Fast Ferry

Tallink and Meyer Turku signed a Contract for a New Generation LNG powered Fast Ferry

Tallinn, 2015-02-27 09:28 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Tallink and Meyer Turku signed a Contract for a New Generation LNG powered Fast

Ferry

AS Tallink Grupp and Meyer Turku Oy signed a contract for the construction of

the LNG powered fast ferry for Tallinn-Helsinki route shuttle operations. The

dual fuel ship will be about 212 metres in length with a passenger capacity of

2800. The fast ferry will cost around 230 million euros and will be built at

Meyer Turku shipyard for delivery in the beginning of 2017. The project will

provide approximately 2000 man-years employment for the shipyard.

The new environmentally friendly ship uses LNG as fuel and she complies with

the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas including the

Baltic Sea. The ship, with a gross tonnage of 49 000 and service speed of 27

knots, will bring significant improvement in energy efficiency. Highly

innovative hull form design minimizes the flow resistance and ensures that the

ship operates well in ice conditions. Efficient and fast cargo turnaround in

ports has been taken into account in the design of the new generation fast

ferry.

According to the contract 20 percent of the total cost will be paid during the

construction period and the rest after the delivery of the vessel. AS Tallink

Grupp plans to finance 80 percent of the new ship cost in 2017 by long term

loan. The loan terms will be concluded in the near future. According to the

strategy Tallink will continue deleveraging during the current and next year.

The management aims not to exceed the curent debt level due to the new ship

investment.

CEO of AS Tallink Grupp, Janek Stalmeister Stalmeister says that Tallink wants

to develop sea travel and to revolutionize business concepts and this project

will be one of the attempts to succeed on that. ?We have brought a new

understanding to the fast ferry services with the Shuttle concept and now the

time is right to take the next step. We have learned from our own experience,

listened to our customers and experts and we are now very excited about the end

result?, added Stalmeister.

?Meyer Turku is very happy to continue the long and good tradition to build

ferries for Tallink and with our new and advanced LNG propulsion plant we are

lifting this partnership to the next technological level. With this contract we

increase our output by 30% in 2016, which is good news for the shipyard and its

suppliers and the entire region. It furthermore allows us to implement our

strategy to further strengthen our capabilities by making the necessary

recruits and by improving design and building methods?, says Jan Meyer, CEO of

Meyer Turku Oy.

Harri Hanschmidt

Head of the Finance Department

AS Tallink Grupp

Sadama 5/7. 10111 Tallinn

Tel +372 640 8981

E-mail harri.hanschmidt@tallink.ee